Endangered Plants – Page 5 – PossibleThreat Articles

Scientists find ways to improve cassava, a 'crop of inequality' featured at Goalkeepers

New research has highlighted a crop of inequality called cassava, which has starchy, tuberous roots that sustain more than 500 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, yet cassava has been largely neglected by research and development compared to the staple crops of wealthier regions. Researchers have identified opportunities to improve cassava yields — which have not increased for more than fifty years in Africa.

News Science

Neurotoxin lead sometimes added to turmeric for brighter color

September 24, 2019 0 Comments Agriculture and Food, Blood Clots, Endangered Plants, Food, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Soil Types, Workplace Health

Some spice processors in Bangladesh use an industrial lead chromate pigment to imbue turmeric with a bright yellow color prized for curries and other traditional dishes, elevating blood lead levels in Bangladeshis.

News Science

Why the lettuce mitochondrial genome is like a chopped salad

September 23, 2019 0 Comments Biology, Endangered Plants, Evolutionary Biology, Exotic Species, Genetics, Grassland

The genomes of mitochondria are usually depicted as rings or circles. But in plants, 1 ring does not rule them all. A new study of lettuce shows that the mitochondrial genome often forms branching structures with elements that can be swapped around like a chopped salad.

News Science

To grow or to flower: Genes IDed in early land plant descendant also found in modern crops

September 19, 2019 0 Comments Botany, Endangered Plants, Evolution, Exotic Species, Fossils, Grassland, Landslides, Nature, Origin of Life

Since they first arrived on land, plants have likely been using the same genetic tools to regulate whether they grow bigger or reproduce. The discovery was made using liverwort, one descendant of the first plants to move out of the ancient oceans and onto land.

News Science

Emissions from cannabis growing facilities may impact indoor and regional air quality

September 18, 2019 0 Comments Air Pollution, Air Quality, Botany, Controlled Substances, Endangered Plants, Organic, Patient Education and Counseling, Pollution, Skin Cancer

Scientists have studied air quality inside of four cannabis growing facilities in Nevada and California. They recorded high levels of BVOCs (biogenic volatile organic compounds) and butane inside each growing facility, which can contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone if released into the outdoors.

News Science

Peatlands trap CO2, even during droughts

September 17, 2019 0 Comments Climate, Drought, Endangered Animals, Endangered Plants, Environmental Awareness, Environmental Issues, Global Warming, Nature

Scientists studied the two species of moss that make up the peatland. They discovered that in hot weather and drought conditions, one species resists, whereas the other is negatively impacted. In wet weather conditions the opposite takes place. Peatland however survives in the end. Although peatlands make up only 3% of the Earth's surface, they store one third of CO2 present in soil. Preserving peatlands would therefore limit the impact of future climate change.

News Science

The effects of variation in T6SS and bacteria on competition in host environment

September 17, 2019 0 Comments Bacteria, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Botany, Endangered Plants, Extreme Survival, Genetically Modified, Microbes and More, Microbiology

A group of scientists studying the ways plant-associated bacteria interact were surprised to find that strains predicted to be more sensitive to bacteria were able to coexist with aggressor strains.

News Science

Ethanol fuels large-scale expansion of Brazil's farming land

September 17, 2019 0 Comments Agriculture and Food, Alternative Fuels, Endangered Plants, Energy and Resources, Energy Technology, Fuel Cells, Nature, Soil Types

A new study has revealed that future demand for ethanol biofuel could potentially expand sugarcane farming land in Brazil by 5 million hectares by 2030.

News Science

Nature documentaries increasingly talk about threats to nature, but still don't show them

September 17, 2019 0 Comments Agriculture and Food, Behavioral Science, Biochemistry Research, Biology, Endangered Plants, Monkeys, Nature, Wild Animals

Researchers analyzing recent BBC and Netflix nature documentaries found that although they increasingly mention threats to nature, visual depictions of these threats remain scarce, potentially misleading audiences on the state of the natural world.

News Science

Early rice farmers unwittingly selected for weedy imposters

September 16, 2019 0 Comments Agriculture and Food, Early Humans, Endangered Plants, Evolution, Exotic Species, Food and Agriculture, Grassland, Human Evolution, Sustainability

Early rice growers unwittingly gave barnyard grass a big hand, helping to give root to a rice imitator that is now considered one of the world's worst agricultural weeds.