Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have identified a protein complex responsible for regulating plant growth. Rather than growing at a progressive pace throughout the day, the plant’s circadian, or biological, clock causes it to wait until nighttime to grow, with the most rapid...
A new study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reveals that rice plants can become hardier when colonized by fungi—specifically, endophytes found on dunegrass.
Scientists had previously believed that the salt tolerance of dunegrass was a genetic adaptation. However, when the fungi were...
Memory may not be a function of the brain alone. A rudimentary memory appears to exist even in the absence of a central nervous system.
In a new study conducted at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), researchers found that poplar clones, though genetically identical, can handle stress...
Pesticide use has long been associated with many costs—among them financial and environmental. The assumption has always been that the advantage of deterring crop-eating insects outweighs the disadvantages.
A new study at the Biocenter of the University of Würzburg not only challenges this...
Researchers at the Salk Institute’s Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory (CNL) have isolated a flavonoid that helps to fight diabetes by reducing its harmful effects—fisetin, which is found most readily in strawberries. In mice with diabetes, fisetin has been shown to fight diabetes in both the...
For years, scientists have observed that, since the genes of animals are passed from one generation to the next through gametes (sex cells) which do not have direct contact with the environment, an animal’s environment could not directly influence the DNA transferred from parent to progeny. With...
“Chocolate or vanilla?” The question seems to be the never-ending debate of ice cream connoisseurs around the world, but what if neither flavor existed? Would we have to tune our taste buds to the tanginess of sherbet instead? Thanks to research from The University of Nottingham, those vanilla...
From previous studies, scientists, health professionals, and consumers alike have a thorough understanding of the anti-oxidant effects of berries. Advertisements for the acai berry’s ability to help prevent cancer and heart disease over-populate the web; however, the conclusion of a new study...
When people have neither the time nor the resources to complete a task on their own, they often ask or hire someone to help them. According to a new study conducted by a research team from France, trees found in nutrient poor, acidic forests have been found to get a little help of their own by cultivating...
Archaeological ruins and historical documents are not the only means of learning about human history. In fact, biological evidence—specifically DNA—can play a crucial role in uncovering previously unknown pieces of our past. Interestingly, we do not necessarily have to look at human DNA. In a...
Research at the University of South Florida (USF) has shown that regular consumption of coffee reduces the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers believe that an abnormal protein in the brain called beta-amyloid is the cause of Alzheimer’s. Caffeine was singled out as the probable...
