Top stories
Genetically Engineered Plants Could Clean Humanity’s Messes - Toxic waste management is a challenging environmental problem. Some plants are very good at breaking down toxins into harmless products. Researchers are working on developing plants that can more efficiently absorb and break down a variety of toxins to combat the growing pollution problem. Tests on the removal of trichloroethylene, the most common groundwater contaminant, show that the modified plants were able to remove ninty-one percent of the contaminant. Unaltered plants could only remove three percent of the contaminant from the environment. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Fall Foliage: Why Leaves Change Color - For years, scientists have known what causes leaves to turn orange and yellow in the fall. Yet, the deep red still elludes them. For orange and yellow pigments to show, the leaves must first stop producing their green-tinted chlorophyll. This allows carotenoids, which produce the oranges and yellows, to appear. The yellow and orange pigments are always present in the leaves but are not visible until the green is no longer produced. Scientists have discovered that the deep reds come from anthocyanins, which are only produced in the fall. Anthocynanins can work like antifreeze, protecting tissues from cold. They can also be produced in response to stress. Thus, the red leaves may not only display signs that fall is coming, but that the tree might be fighting off an infection. (*sneeze*)

Health
New Study: Pine Bark Extract Boosts Nitric Oxide Production - Nitric oxide (NO) has been known to promote blood flow to help supply oxygen to muscles. Higher amounts of NO may also aid in reducing a person’s risk of heart attack and stroke. An antioxidant extract from pine trees has been shown to help increase healthy production of nitric oxide (NO) in the human body. The natural increase can aid in physical activity by steering away from anaerboic metabolism longer. Published in an upcoming issue of Hypertension Research.

Alternative Fuels
Better Biofuel: Corn with No Ears - Earless corn may provide a better biofuel source according to scientists. Earless corn is not a transgenic plant, but a tropical variety of corn that produces ears when day lengths are short. Grown in the midwest U.S. during summer, the day lengths are long enough to delay flowering. The earless corn stores more sugars that could be used to make ethanol while requiring less nitrogen and other fertilizers to grow. These earless stalks store on average twenty-five percent more simple sugars than do corn plants with ears, making them a more efficient biofuel source.