Welcome greenseedling readers! GS is taking a break until October. But don’t worry – as always, we encourage you to check out our archives for great plant science news stories. Remember we have links to interesting science podcasts and books to keep you occupied for weeks in the Podcasts...

In Europe, the tree leaves appearing during the Autumn season are predominantly yellow, whereas in America they are mostly red. Why? An article recently published in New Phytologist attempts to solve this mystery. The fact that plants produce anthocyanin, a pigment that causes leaves to appear red once...

Prevention is better than cure. This age-old adage carries with it a meaning that we rarely value until it’s too late. We may watch our diet to stay slim, but we don’t often diet to avoid potential health conditions such as kidney stones. Kidney stones are more common than most people know –...

My father was at one time a farmhand in rural South India. He sat on the floor with his eight siblings and ate his food off of a banana leaf. In this mud-made shanty made by my grandfather, the family would very often have dessert after their feast. They may have not had running water or electricity,...

While we may not think about it, we all know how much barcodes at the supermarket save time by quickly identifying the item we’re buying. Scientists too have long understood the importance of developing an efficient way to determine the species of an organism. Within the last few years, a barcode...

A team of lead scientists at the California Institute of Technology has unlocked a major piece of the pollution puzzle. Their research was focused on the process by which gases emitted from plants become aerosols, or airborne microscopic particles. Led by professors Paul Wennberg and John Seinfeld of...

Researchers at the University of Illinois have found a gene that could lead to a much larger biomass of corn. The gene involved in their huge (no pun intended) research is named Glossy 15. Glossy 15, as its name may suggest, gives corn seedlings a waxy coating to protect the seedling from the sun. However,...

While organically-grown food is nothing new to human societies, the increase in public awareness of organic food over the last several years has caused an explosion in the demand for such food with its reduced use of chemical additives, hormones, pesticides, and genetic modification. Organic food companies...

The state of Texas is currently experiencing its most enduring drought since the 1950’s, severely hurting its agricultural industry. Due to burned out crops, yields of Texas fields have been significantly reduced. With fewer crops, farms are unable to support their livestock. Agricultural losses are...

America’s very own Yosemite National Park may not have escaped the ravages of global climate change. The famous park reserve is well known for its grand meadows, deep valleys and ancient giant sequoias, but it seems as though its illustrious charm may be declining. A study conducted by United States...