Last year, biofuels consisted of only 2.7 % of the world’s transportation fuel. This astoundingly low percentage is due high costs of biofuels. Researchers at the Energy Biosciences Institute, University of California, Berkeley, have found a new way to decrease the costs. Their method involves reducing...
From all of us at greenseedling.com – Happy Thanksgiving!
Pass the yams, please!
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Phosphorus, essential to the health of plants, is unfortunately in short supply. Over the next twenty years our soils will experience the crunch of phosphorous depletion, a fate suffered by some already. As the amount of phosphorous in the soil decreases, the vitality of the plants growing there is...
Often times, the ability of plants are underestimated or unappreciated. For instance, it was not until recently that scientists discovered the benefits of milk thistle extracts. These extracts, taken from certain seeds of flowers, are primarily used to aid in the treatment of gallbladder and liver...
New research seems to paint the picture of pollen grains having their own versions of brawls and fights over female preference. Pollen grains from genetically different trees within the same species seem to have the ability to interfere with each other’s reproductive goals in the race to find a...
A new study by the University of British Columbia predicts that wood will become a competitive commercial source for fuel by 2020. Although wood-based bio fuels are considered more sustainable than corn, they are not widely used due to high costs. Ethanol produced from corn is more commonly used...
In recent years, obesity in teenagers has increased dramatically. Seeing this as a primary issue, Joseph Carlson, professor at Michigan State University, conducted a study on reducing symptoms of metabolic syndrome. To do so, Carlson and his group examined the effects of incorporating high-fibrous...
Barley is an important cereal grain and a vital component of many healthy foods. It’s commonly grown by farmers and yields profit, but can be economically devastating when attacked by a certain pathogen.
Stem rust, a crop disease, is a new threat to barley and can contribute to the total...
We generally think of plants as being forms of life that lack feelings and social interaction, but this may not be completely true! It has been found that plants are capable of exhibiting complex social behavior such as altruism towards related individuals but aggression towards strangers. In other...
When it comes to global warming, there are winners and losers. Consider the white spruce, an evergreen that grows in the Alaskan tundra. Historically, the region’s cool climate restricts the rate at which this tree matures. But a recent study by the Lamont Tree-Ring Lab finds that these arctic forests...
Scientists at the BioEnergy Science Center have discovered a new way to improve biofuel production. Their study involves taking advantage of a natural phenomenon in trees called tension wood. Tension wood forms when hardwood trees undergo bending stress. Properties of tension wood have been studied...
For those who don’t know me, I am a nut fanatic! Unfortunately, this means that it is very easy for me to give in to my rather large cravings for peanuts, walnuts, almonds and pistachios—which may be somewhat unhealthy. But according to a report in ACS’ Journal of Proteome Research, a research...
Some day soon, when you get a stinging paper cut and reach for a band-aid, that band-aid might be made from sundew. Sundew plants are carnivorous, and they use the small adhesive balls on the ends of their tentacles to capture insects. Researchers hope that these adhesive properties will be have medical...
Many of us know that the allergies we acquire can be a result of outdoor plants and our environment. For instance, every spring, I become a victim of pollen and get a runny nose and watery eyes. However, what many of us may not know is that headaches, too, can be a result of the plants around us....
“When we began this study, we started with the assumption that every year we advanced in the twentieth century there would be fewer and fewer varieties offered for sale commercially.” So confesses Paul Heald, law professor and co-author of a recent article debunking one of our most widely circulated,...
How can we minimize the carbon output in the bio fuel making process itself? This question addresses a major problem that all second generation bio fuels face. In a previous article, “Conservation Reserve Policy Reduces Bio fuel’s Carbon Debt,” we discussed how producing biofuels requires energy...
For all of the heavy drinkers out there, a recent study issued journal PLoSONE may be of interest: rats that consumed strawberries before being exposed to ethyl alcohol had less damage done to their stomach mucous membranes than the group of rats that were not previously fed strawberries.
The...
Ethanol fuel is a major source of renewable energy and can be made from various cellulosic feedstocks, such as corn stover, grasses, wood, and the non-edible parts of plants. Corn stover, with its extreme abundance, makes it a chief leader in the production of biomass ethanol. Recently, researchers...
It may interest insomniacs to know that bugs also need sleep; without it, they feel the effects of environmental stress much more acutely. In fact, if disturbed from their typical rest cycle, they can even die.
Enter the corn earworm, bane of American agriculture. This insect costs American...
