Being in between living and non-living, viruses are, in general, strange. Among viruses, multipartite viruses are among the most peculiar — their genome is not packed into one, but many, particles. Multipartite viruses primarily infect plants rather than animals. A recent article uses mathematical and computational models to explain this observation.
Read moreBy exposing a genetically diverse group of corn plants in the field to future ozone levels, researchers discovered hidden vulnerabilities.
Read moreAn international team published their analysis of the genome of the red pineapple, a plant grown for fiber production and as an ornamental.
Read moreCommon herbs, including lavender, fennel and chamomile, have a long history of use as folk medicines used to lower blood pressure. In a new study, researchers explain the molecular mechanisms that make them work.
Read moreA team led by biologists have identified the ways in which herbicide-resistant strains of the invasive common waterhemp weed have emerged in fields of soy and corn in southwestern Ontario. The resistance, first detected in 2010, spread thanks to two mechanisms: either pollen and seeds of resistant plants were physically dispersed by wind, water and other means, or resistance appeared through the spontaneous emergence of mutations that then spread.
Read moreA new study finds that a unique mechanism involving calcium, the plant hormone auxin and a calcium-binding protein is responsible for regulating plant growth.
Read moreScientists have discovered that soil microbes can make plants more resistant to an aggressive disease — opening new possibilities for sustainable food production.
Read moreNew high-speed neutron tomography generates a complete 3D image every 1.5 seconds and is thus seven times faster than before. The method facilitates a better understanding of water and nutrient uptake of crop plants. The method can also be applied to investigate transport processes in various porous material systems.
Read moreEmissions of greenhouse gases have a warming effect on the climate, whereas small airborne particles in the atmosphere, aerosols, act as a cooling mechanism. That is the received wisdom in any case. However, new research can now show that the tiniest aerosols are increasing at the expense of the normal sized and slightly larger aerosols — and it is only the latter that have a cooling effect.
Read moreFor most plants, carbon dioxide acts like a steroid: The more they can take in, the bigger they get. But scientists have now discovered something strange happening in marshes. Under higher levels of carbon dioxide, instead of producing bigger stems, marsh plants produced more stems that were noticeably smaller.
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