[This is the second in a series of articles about lignin, a molecule of singular importance in the field of biofuels.]

Lignin puts up one heck of a fight when we try to break it down or separate it from its neighboring molecules, and if we were in the game of personifying inanimate...

Researchers at The University of Illinois have been studying the anti-inflammatory effects of various plant compounds. Specifically, they have been studying the effects of luteolin, a compound found in many of the plants that we eat. Crops like carrots, peppers, rosemary and celery all contain luteolin...

Consider the Hessian fly and the wheat plant. A fly larva chews holes in the plant’s leaves; the plant, unable to flee, loses a few leaves to its tormentor. Here the story ends, right? Not exactly. When the Hessian fly larva feeds on the wheat plant, a complex chemical battle ensues between insect...

[This is the first in a series of articles about lignin, a molecule of singular importance in the field of biofuels.]

At the risk of offending any literati amongst our readers, I’ll introduce the focus of this series with an adaptation (more like an adulteration) of a fine quote...

“Do your body good” by drinking beer—non-alcoholic beer, that is.

After intense physical activity, athletes face an “open window” during which they are particularly susceptible to illness such as upper respiratory infections. During this time frame, their bodies experience inflammation...

Although we typically use term biological warfare to describe human military operations, ours is not the only species to adopt such tactics. Plants too have evolved their own versions of biological warfare. To deliver our poisons we build bombs. Plants, by contrast, have adopted a subtler method:...

Last week we looked at research being done within the field of genetic engineering that has had direct benefits for the biofuel industry (“Genetically Engineered Enzymes Offer Help...

We all succumb to muscle atrophy and weakness at some point in our lives, whether as a result of disease or as a natural part of the aging process or both. Could there be a way to reverse this process or at least minimize the damage?

Researchers at the University of Iowa (UI) have been investigating...

Many biofuel production processes currently in use pivot on the conversion of cellulose into ethanol. The main function of a typical biofuel feedstock is to simply provide cellulosic biomass that can be broken down and utilized for this purpose. This process sounds easier in principle than it is in...

Those of us who have only been following biofuels in the past couple of years probably have never heard of a plant called jatropha. Once an industry favorite, this hardy shrub has now largely seen its day in the world of biofuels. Jatropha’s prominence as a potential biofuel feedstock rose fast,...

Impatient produce buyers know a common trick for making bananas ripe and ready to eat sooner rather than later: stick them in a brown paper bag.  The trick works because bananas release ethylene, a plant hormone that, among its other functions, promotes ripening and prevents cell elongation.  While...

Synthetic fertilizer is often considered necessary for the world today, given that since its introduction, both the yield and quality of crops have grown substantially. In a time where increasing the amount of food available remains a necessity, synthetic fertilizer does indeed have its uses. However,...