Growing up in an Indian family, rice was the primary staple in our diet and we it ate almost daily. However, never did it occur to me that the very rice my mother made could potentially be a health remedy. How exactly could this simple grain play such a role in people’s lives?
According to...
The tenets of even the most basic biology courses hold that genetic diversity is crucial for a species’ survival, and an efficient way to achieve necessary diversity is by sexual reproduction of two individuals within a species.
Given those basic principles, the continued existence of self-fertilizing...
Not unlike Superman’s relationship with kryptonite, weeds around the world often fall without much of a fight when confronted with paraquat, one of the world’s most widely used herbicides. However, the difference in these two antagonistic relationships is that Superman developing a resistance...
A few weeks ago, we discussed an issue with environmental contaminants and urban gardening. As previously stated, vegetables grown in unprotected urban soil tend to take in harmful substances into their root systems, ultimately exposing these urban vegetable consumers to another source of lead. ...
As humans, we often concentrate on the wellbeing of our own species. Although plant biologists seem to take a slightly different approach to this matter, research that documents the relationship between plants and human health often receives significantly more press than those reporting on animal...
The summer following my sophomore year in High School, I was given the extraordinary opportunity of participating in a 10 week research program at the University of Wyoming-Laramie. Throughout my time there, I worked in the pharmaceutical department on a project that aimed to test the effects of crystal...
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently determined the optimal protocol for planting winter canola, a crop that could serve northwestern farmers very well in the future. With the ability to control weeds, winter canola has always been an attractive option for farmers. However,...
An international team of scientists led by Dr. Carmen Ulloa of the Missouri Botanical Garden just confirmed the discovery of a new genus of tree in the Aptandraceae family. They named the genus Hondurodendron because it is native to Honduras.
The discovery of new species is not an uncommon...
Whether or not sweet potatoes are good for french fries and mashed potatoes is most definitely up for debate, but what is not so much a debate anymore is that they may also be highly useful for the production of fuel ethanol.
The USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) spearheaded the...
Chocolate. Throughout my life, I don’t think I’ve met a single person who doesn’t like this delectable confectionary. Young or old, American or not, it seems that Chocolate has the unique ability to brighten anyone’s day.
For this reason, the chocolate industry has grown...
A collaborative study by Michigan State University and the University of Washington has revealed the mechanism of action of the plant hormone jasmonate and could lead to advancements in plant disease resistance and drug design. Jasmonate is a family of plant hormones that regulates plant growth, development,...
Second grade was the year the school nurses found out about my poor, fuzzy vision. Up until my late middle school years, I wore prescription glasses and later moved on to contact lenses. My vision gradually worsened and is now leveling off at a steady, nearsightedness value of -4.5 diopters. Despite...
For the much of previous millennia, the European corn borer has been a tremendous pest to grain crops worldwide. In particular, the European corn borer has an affinity for corn (hence its name); when corn borer caterpillars are hatched from their eggs, they damage both the ear and stalk by chewing...
Biblical literature characterizes King Solomon as a symbol of power, wealth, wisdom, and royalty. Although Solomon’s lily, scientifically named Arum palaestinum, may not exhibit King Solomon’s traits of wealth or royalty, the flower does seem to demonstrate anthropomorphism with regard to the...
Much debate has transpired from the use of pesticides in crop cultivation. Some of the pesticides that farmers use have proven to be harmful to human health; however, these same substances deemed as “unsafe” play a major role in allowing farmers worldwide to produce enough food to sustain the...
As individual states in the US and other countries become increasingly open to the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, there is a great need to consider the plant’s detrimental effects — memory loss, anxiety, and paranoia — and determine if they are controllable.
A recent study from...
Recently, corn and peanuts have been the target of a fungus that produces no symptoms in plants but could have dire consequences if consumed by humans.
Aspergillus niger, the fungus of interest, lives within the tissues of corn and peanut plants as an endophyte, meaning there is no apparent...
