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Tobacco: Good for Our Health?
Negative connotations about tobacco are prevalent in many cultures across the world. However, upon closer examination, we may become a bit more willing to accept tobacco plants into our lives – but not in the way you might expect.
Tobacco holds a notorious reputation for giving people health problems...
Potato Strain Resistant to Black Dot and Powdery Scab
Did you know that potatoes are not considered vegetables? They are edible tubers. On average, a person eats 73 pounds of potatoes, internationally; Americans eat almost twice that amount at 130 pounds per year!
However, among the four top-most produced crops, potatoes are the easiest targets for various...
Beans! Sharing the Nitrogen Love
Crops have always been plagued by insects, disease, nutrient-poor soil and drought. Now, it seems that one small part of the problem may be solved. One of the critical nutrients that plants require to grow is nitrogen. Nitrogen must be ‘fixed’ in order to turn Nitrogen from the air into a usable...
Location, Location, Location
The American Association for the Advancement of Science conference wrapped up on the 22nd of February, and the topic of biofuels certainly did not go untouched.
Many scientists have been addressing the commercialization of the algal biofuel production process. Thus far, the obstacle has mainly been a...
Yeast, lowering a plant’s winter heat bill
As I was thinking about my topic for this week’s article, I thought I would do myself a little favor by first baking one of my favorite homemade desserts: white chocolate bread pudding. Not only did this help to inspire my thoughts, but perhaps even more importantly, it fed my unrelenting appetite...
Meet My Distant Cousin…Arabidopsis
For years, scientists have faced the lofty challenge of confirming the evolutionary link between primates and humans, but with new research from Purdue University, scientists may turn their focus on evolutionary kinship between apes and plants.
While attempting to revive dying plants, researchers discovered...
Organic Anti-Fungal Compound
Food competition in the tropics is not limited to two animals fighting over a single prey. In fact, carnivorous plants and fungi also compete for food, albeit at a much more molecular level. After an insect is trapped by a carnivorous plant, it falls into the plant’s “pitcher,” which contains enzymes...
New Way to Reduce Resistance to Breast Cancer Drug
With the advent of the cold season, several of my classes here at UT Austin have been plagued with the echoes of people coughing; the sounds often drown the professor’s voice! I have also started to feel under the weather as of a few days ago. To make matters worse, I seem to have acquired resistance...
Root Hair Growth Explained
For humans hair is like an accessory, we spend money cutting it, styling it, and coloring it; almost everything we do with our hair is for superficial reasons (except for cilia in our intestines, nasal cavity etc). Animals have fur for protective purposes, to keep warm in the summer or perhaps camouflage....
Back to the Future of Ethanol Production
The University of Central Florida has taken a leap through time and devised a method of harvesting ethanol from garbage items. Sound familiar? Yes, this scenario is not unlike the DeLorean in the popular science fiction movie, Back to the Future. It may be true that the future of clean ethanol lies in...
Water, without it we simply can’t survive
Posted by Usman in Environment, Featured Articles, Research, Strange But True on 02 24th, 2010 | No Comments
When we made the transition a little over a decade ago from the nineteenth to the twentieth century, many believed that we were finally closing the door on one of the most notably problematic and violent centuries in world history. Not only were two major World Wars fought during this period, but major...
No Electrical Outlet? Try a Cactus!
You may have heard of solar power, but what about harnessing power via photosynthesis? Controlled by humans, solar panels can generate electrical power through photovoltaic cells. As opposed to solar panels, photosynthesis employs only the natural sources of plants and the sun to convert solar...
Preventing the Proliferation of Nematodes with Plants
Originally shipped to the United States in the 1930’s to help reduce soil erosion, the Chinese bush clover (Sericea lespedeza) is now being used to promote the health of pasture-grazing mammals. When the Chinese bush clover is put into pelleted form, it can be added to livestock’s feed. When consumed...
Plant Buffers Prove Productive
Posted by Deepa in Agriculture, Environment, Featured Articles, Health on 02 19th, 2010 | No Comments
The cycle of agricultural life across the globe occurs as a series of chain reactions. Scientists are now becoming acutely aware of the immense cross industrial impacts that stem from a few seemingly harmless practices in the agricultural world. Today’s featured study is one that investigates the impact...
Global Warming and the Decline of Crop Yields
Studies have shown that the yields of many different plant species decrease by as much as 30% when the temperature has surpassed 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Such a profound decline in crop yields would harm producers and consumers alike, and it appears that this problem may get worse with global warming....
Mutations Crucial to Viral Infections
As I was reading this article today, I realized that for some reason I tend to prefer learning about genetic research over other sub disciplines in Biology. The more knowledge we have about the specific functions of genes, the better chance we have of curing genetic diseases. Research into the viral...
Justice: Plant Style
The principle of “an eye for an eye” found in the Code of Hammurabi of ancient Babylonian origin has been understood by anthropologists and other social scientists as being a peculiar characteristic of human social interaction for centuries. Although it may seem that we are the only species of life...
Reviving Western Rangelands with Genetic Modification
In the western United States, extreme weather conditions threaten vegetation, wildlife, and surrounding communities. With conditions ranging from heavy snow in the winter to severe drought and wildfires in the summer, the plant life in these areas takes a brutal beating by Mother Nature. Under...
Auxin May Provide Stronger Root Systems
Every time I read about agricultural research, I notice that the focus is always on the need for food. More specifically, the need to be able to grow more plants with fewer resources so that we can alleviate world hunger. A lot of the studies I have read and written about focus on cures for fungal infections...
Invasive Plants at Walden Pond: bane or boon?
In the battle to survive and thrive in today’s world of unpredictable climate change, it may be that the invasive and non-native plants reign supreme. Charles C. Davis, an assistant professor at the Harvard Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, recently published his findings from...
The Phenomena of Whispering Leaves
In many of my previous articles, I have often discussed the rather interesting phenomenon of plant communication. While this is undoubtedly an amazing testament to the inherent complexity of plant life, evolutionarily, the ability for plants to be able to communicate with one another is more of a pragmatic...
Fire, Smoke, and Plants
There will be blood in a football game that sets two bitter rivals against each other. However, not all of the players are on the field with a mindset of inflicting permanent pain upon the other team. Some players, the good sportsmen, will be kind enough to help lift their counterpart up after a rough...
GM Forests: Raising the bar for Timber Production
Posted by Deepa in Agriculture, Environment, Featured Articles, GM Foods on 02 4th, 2010 | No Comments
America has long embraced the wide use and consumption of genetically modified or GM foods in daily life. But now, there seems to be a new buzz in the air about using the benefits of genetically modifying trees to increase the rate of growth in the United State’s southeastern forests.
A proposition...
Sugarcane Afflicted with New Rust Fungi
As humans we have seen and heard about multiple kinds of influenza viruses. Currently, one of the problems caused by H1N1 infection is being able to distinguish the symptoms of a sick person. Doctors and researchers have been trying to figure out the best ways to differentiate the symptoms of H1N1 from...
Tobacco Plants Scared of the Dark?
It is a common belief that going out at night is much more dangerous than going out during the day. Although reasons for fearing the dark differs amongst humans, the fear is usually rational and can often prevent unnecessary tragedies. As a teenager, I was often irked when my parents refused to let me...
Almonds Never Tasted So Toxic
If asked to identify three poisonous entities that can be found in nature, what first comes to mind? A snake? A spider?
How about an almond tree? Although almonds may have many health benefits associated with their consumption, the nectar of an almond tree actually has quite the opposite effect.
After...
Soybean Genome Mapped
As I plan ahead for college graduation and graduate school, it is sometimes easy to get carried away and wish for things to be easier and different. Sometimes I just don’t want to be in any more science classes, but I know that success in medical school or graduate school depends on me going back and...
Appraisal on the Algae Approach
Recent findings at the University of Virginia’s department of Civil and Environmental Engineering have caused increased scrutiny of current alternative energy procurement processes concerning algae.
Exxon Mobile’s $600 million investment for the research and development of biofuel in addition to...
Bundle Up Those Genes – It’s Cold Out!
They say in Texas, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes and it will change.” With days that range from 30 degrees to 80 degrees in the winter months, I may have my heat running at full force on a Monday, and then the air conditioner blasting by Friday; but how does this rapidly changing...
What Can Kanna Do?
Sceletium tortuosum is a plant native to South Africa that has been used for a few hundred years with a variety of purposes. Also known as Kanna, Channa, and Kougoed, the plant has been known to enhance mood, reduce anxiety, relax the user, and even cause euphoria when taken in large amounts. The plant,...
The often beautiful consequences of Natural Selection
Ever since I was a child, I have always considered the city of Chicago as my home away from home. Although I was born and raised in Houston, my Aunt lives in the windy city and I have been lucky enough to be able to visit her and my cousins at least a few times every year. After my brother graduated...
We’re on Winter Break!
Best wishes for a great holiday season from the greenseedling staff! (Photo courtesy: www.paulrezendes.com)
Seaweed: fuel for thought
The American industry has long dallied with the idea of using microalgae to produce the alternative fuel ethanol, but now a new approach has been proposed. The next stop in our quest to find the best and most efficient alternative fuel: Seaweed, a macroalgae.
Despite its promise as an alternative fuel...
Ethylene Details Discovered
Every person is unique. I have noticed that in every group, each individual offers something valuable to the collective. And, although different, each person depends on someone else in some way. How does this pertain to ethylene? Turns out that a family of ethylene genes (a group of related genes)...
Plants in Disguise
Animals in the wild have many ways of warding off predators. Whether they warn predators through bright coloration, escape danger by changing locations, or use camouflage to blend into their environment, animals seem to have better alternatives than plants to avoid predation. Since plants are grounded...
A Filter for Fisheries
A few years ago, a friend of mine told me that we could minimize water pollution by using Brita water filters and scooping out water from local rivers and ponds. As preposterous as it sounds, the concept of filtering the water was actually a decent idea. But how could you get a filter to fix the pollution...
Happy Thanksgiving!
We’re taking the week off! In the meantime, please take a look at our archives, fun stuff, and media page. In the spirit of the season, we’d like to say that we’re certainly thankful for our readers! Happy Thanksgiving! – the greenseedling staff
Don’t Stress It!
As a financial consultant in Chicago, my brother is often required by his job to travel to meet with current and potential clients. About a month ago, he was asked by his boss whether or not he would be interested in helping the San Francisco branch of his firm with an upcoming deadline that they had....
Soybean Oil: Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Fish oil is known to be one of the healthiest ways to obtain omega-3 fatty acids. DHA and EPA, two of the most studied omega-3-fatty acids, have numerous health benefits; they decrease triglycerides, blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and heart rate. Essentially, they decrease the adverse effects of low...
Plants as Social beings: an Altruistic Growth
The social behavior of kin recognition has been well studied and understood in the animal kingdom, and recently evolutionary biologists have begun to explore this phenomenon in the plant world.
It is widely recognized that plants have the ability to detect and respond to plants around them. However,...
Hands Off the Violet!
As a child, I always wondered why my grandmother never approved of people picking or touching the flowers that surrounded my grandparents’ house. From Texas bluebonnets to Indian paintbrushes and black-eyed susans, her flowerbeds never failed to display of almost every color known to mankind, but...
Help the Kelp
If you have never heard of or seen a kelp forest before, imagine sitting at an ocean floor as numerous columns of macroalgae tower above you and a plethora of marine life forms weave their way in and out of these pillars of plant life. These underwater kelp forests are not just visually breathtaking...
Even green emissions can sometimes be harmful
One of the biggest transitions any teenager makes in his or her life occurs when they move away from their family’s home and begin their independent lives as college students. Although this prospect seems exciting for many young students, I remember feeling a peculiar mix of anxiety and sadness...
Broccoli: As Healthy As Parents Insist?
The nutritional value of cabbage-like vegetables (such as broccoli and cauliflower) has been known for years; parents don’t nag children about eating their vegetables for nothing! A family of compounds known as carotenoids constitutes a major part of the nutritional value that humans get from these...
Global Warming Doesn’t Just Make the Desert Hotter
If I were foolish enough to brave the Sahara Desert mid-summer without water and rations, I would probably trek about 5 paces in before knowing that my journey would be futile. Desert plants, on the other hand, manage to ride out the treacherous heat and drought every day without much of a problem. If...
Genetically Modified Plants Yield Resistant Insects
Last week, we discussed genetically modified squash plants that have become more susceptible to bacterial infection because of their modification to resist viral infections; conversely, a report by Andrew Pollack of The New York Times uncovers another case where genetic modification of plants may actually...
Success in the battle to be fresh
At Georgia State University, microbiologist George Pierce has pioneered a new method to preserve freshness in produce and flowers. The method utilizes naturally occurring “soil microorganisms,” which are known to be beneficial to plants in the same way that probiotics in yogurt are to people.
Climacteric...
It Pays To Research: The Benefits Of Maize
We’ve been posting articles every week on the plant research being done to cure diseases, improve economies, and eliminate hunger. Sometimes, however, it’s a good idea to come back and comment on the results from some of the research being done to improve our society. Whether it is to substantiate...
Calculating Pollution from Pesticides
Increased use of pesticides has always been deleterious to coastal habitats, as the pesticide runs off into local streams and rivers that eventually make their way to the coast. Unfortunately, it has always been difficult to measure the pollution that pesticides may cause, and understanding their long-term...
Genetically Modified Plants: Does the Cost Outweigh the Benefit?
Genetically modified plants are usually engineered to benefit a plant species that would benefit us. However, scientists are now discovering that these modified plants might avoid one adversity just to encounter another. Squash plants that have been modified to resist viral diseases are now more susceptible...
Arson or Mother Nature’s self-defense?
The motivation for most, if not all of wars is to accumulate resources for the aggressing nation’s or peoples’ benefit. A competition of resources is a motif that has been widely observed in the animal community. Surprisingly, a recent study in the December 2009 issue of The American Naturalist...
Gingko Biloba: Solution to Radiation Damage?
Posted by Pallavi in Featured Articles, Health, Medicinal Plants, Research on 10 29th, 2009 | No Comments
Have you ever thought about the evolution of pharmaceutical drugs? When I watch Grey’s Anatomy or House, I constantly feel amazed by far humans have come, how much we understand about the human body, and how many drugs and procedures have been procured to help us live longer. However, while the contemporary...
Ask yourself: What can your spice rack do for you?
Posted by Deepa in Agriculture, Environment, Featured Articles, GM Foods on 10 28th, 2009 | No Comments
In the wild, what we think of as spices are actually a key component to a plant’s defense mechanism. Now, Dr. Murray Isman of the University of British Columbia recently published a study on these organic pesticides that has produced fruitful results. The research has shown that common household spices,...
Conservation or Curing?
Southern Africans have used native plants for hundreds of years to treat a slew of different illnesses in a wide variety of animals. Researchers at Kansas State University are just beginning to document the 506 herbal remedies that have been used in 18 different areas of Southern Africa. While gathering...
Pitcher plants – toilets of the forest?
In the effort to preserve our planet’s natural resources, societies all over the world have promoted the idea of “going green.” For some, this may mean carpooling to work or using re-usable, cloth grocery bags, but for tree shrews, “going green” has a more literal connotation.
According to...
Nanotechnology: Colossal steps into the future
Ever since the Silicon Valley technology boom of the nineties, the phrase “nanotechnology” has attained a special place in the science world’s colloquial vocabulary.
Proposed devices implementing nanotechnology include LED contact lenses, improved fiber optics, and increasingly faster...
Seeds Yield Nutritional Value
Most agricultural studies focus on improving crop yield or preventing the adverse effects of environmental conditions. Other studies, however, focus on increasing the nutritional value of crops. Phillipe Seguin and his fellow researchers from various universities and governmental agricultural agencies...
A New Wave of Caution
This month’s buzzword in the world of biofuel production is Caution. The United Nations Environment Programme’s most recent report covers the issue of alternative energy in the face of growing sustainability needs. The report is a compilation of a large number of recent studies on biofuels and conducts...
Reducing Anxiety with a Pacific Plant
For thousands of years, tribes and villagers worldwide have looked to nature for solutions to their medical problems. Even today, researchers continue to look into traditional remedies to discover if they are truly successful. One such natural treatment stems from (pun intended) the kava plant, found...
Public Transportation: Not Always the Environment’s Friend
Posted by Sarah in Environment, Featured Articles, Health, Strange But True on 10 19th, 2009 | No Comments
Before taking your bike out for a joy ride on the same route that your bus travels, you may want to reconsider, or better yet, consult the nearest…tree?
A recent study, by scientists at Western Washington University in Bellingham, has uncovered that the leaves of trees may be very helpful in detecting...
Family First
The expression “family comes first” is one that has and continues to be relayed by virtually every culture of the world. In fact, as a student of Arabic, I was exposed to a peculiar Arab version of this motto that both denotes the importance of family while simultaneously establishing a hierarchal...
Corn Ethanol Production: Boon or Bane?
Posted by Deepa in Agriculture, Bio Fuels, Environment, Featured Articles on 10 16th, 2009 | No Comments
In the October issue of the journal BioScience, David Flaspohler and Joseph Fargione published their analysis on the impact of biofuel-dedicated land consumption on various wildlife populations throughout the grasslands. The journal article addressed the long term effects of America’s focus on biofuel...
The Greener the Better
Whether consuming green vegetables raw or cooked, these colorful plants provide us with many essential nutrients. I have always heard, “The greener the vegetable, the better the nutritional value,” but scientists from The University of Nottingham are presently conducting research that could possibly...
Promising Herbal Remedy for H1N1?
(We began to cover this story last week, here’s another, more personal perspective!) South Asian cooking is known for its use of spices. Coming from a South Asian background, I remember when I first ate a raw vegetable. I was confused because that raw piece of carrot tasted nothing like the carrots...
Spending Before Saving (Carbon)
When an officer of a factory decides to buy a new, state-of-the-art machine that could double the productivity of the company, the officer understands that an initial investment must be made before actual profits are seen. The same concept can be applied to biofuels and the environment.
The biofuels...
Sharing is not always caring
Remember when our kindergarten teachers taught us the age-old, seemingly irrefutable rule that “sharing is caring”?
Well, in the case of weeds and their genetically modified crop brethren, a new study in the October issue of the American Journal of Botany has proven that not only is this rule a bad...
Updating Tradition and Fighting Cancer
Traditional Chinese medicine provides of a wide variety of homemade remedies for a wide variety of illnesses, even illnesses that modern technology’s pharmaceuticals have failed to treat. Of course, traditional Chinese medicine is not as widely accepted as the medicine that comes in the form of a pill...
Australian Casuarina Plant Is Growing Rampant in Florida
A hybrid of the Australian invasive species Casuarina has been found growing wild in Florida. Traditionally, Casuarina trees have been planted as decorative foliage alongside boulevards. Recently, they have been become the tree of choice for blocking the wind in orange groves. However, as useful as...
The Ongoing Immunity Struggle between Plants and Bacteria
With the recent increase in the activity of the H1N1 virus, the evolution of pathogens is under the spotlight. It scares me to think how one strain of the flu virus that affected birds, evolved and jumped to pigs and then ran rampant among humans. It has taken a long time for scientists to finally come...
Tattoos: No Longer Just a Form of Artistic Self-Expression
While making my weekly trip to the grocery store, I always tell myself that I will make this trip quicker than the last, but one section of the store never fails to ruin my goal for speediness – the produce section.
Unlike other food aisles, the produce section requires a little more effort than just...
GS is taking a break until October
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...
Easy Diet Prevents Painful Kidney Stones
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 –...
Spit the Seeds Out, but Save Them
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,...
New Plant Barcode System May Speed Up Nature’s Checkout Lines
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...
Plant Aerosols
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...
The Development of Massive Maize
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,...
Big News for Organic Foodies: Conventionally-Grown Food Nutritionally Equivalent
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...
Water Stress Reduction through Ancient Barley DNA
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...
Yosemite National Park Endangered – Result of Climate Change?
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...
ZFNs Provide More Accurate Means for Creating GMOs
Posted by Pallavi in Agriculture, Featured Articles, GM Foods, Research on 07 30th, 2009 | No Comments
In June we read about a revolutionary new technique for creating genetically modified plants without the use of external DNA. The article (http://www.greenseedling.com/2009/06/17/new-method-of-gene-modification/) illustrated the research done with “zinc finger” nucleases. The nucleases allow genes...
The cost of carbon: Cyanide infused Cassava
Posted by Deepa in Agriculture, Environment, Featured Articles, Health on 07 29th, 2009 | No Comments
New Scientist Magazine recently published an article discussing the detrimental impacts of increased carbon dioxide emissions on the cassava plant. Cassava is known to be an important dietary component for over half a billion of the world’s impoverished population. It is especially popular in the drier...
A Rise in Ozone Levels Yields a Rise in Hunger
Posted by Amar in Agriculture, Environment, Featured Articles, Health on 07 28th, 2009 | No Comments
Many of us use the word “hungry” to describe how we are feeling at least once a day. To some, “hungry” is the sensation felt ten minutes before their lunch break. To others, “hungry” is waiting thirty minutes at an upscale restaurant for an exotic dish. However, to 1.02 billion people on...
Plants Use Camouflage Too!
Posted by Pallavi in Environment, Featured Articles, Strange But True on 07 23rd, 2009 | No Comments
Plants use a plethora of defense mechanisms to protect themselves from predators and harsh environmental conditions. They have hardwired physical and chemical defenses such as pointy leaves in cacti, thorns on rose bushes, and poisonous leaves on poison ivy. They also have adapted to include defenses...
Bigger isn’t always Better
In the plant world, It’s not all about size.
A breakthrough in plant research made at Queen’s University in Canada has nearly reversed the way that people view forest-dwelling plant’s hierarchies. Previously, scientists considered bigger trees to be more durable and more influential on their surroundings....
Synthetic Fertilizer’s Innocent Façade
At first glance, looking at a chart of worldwide agricultural production since the introduction of synthetic fertilizer would lead you to believe that our agricultural processes have never been more efficient, profitable, and positive. China’s grain yield per acre increased 98 percent in the 28 years...
Plants Can Be Modified to Fight Allergies
Part of why I love writing these articles is because it leads me to discover cutting edge, revolutionary research that will help solve global problems in the future. Research into genetically modified crops have followed a specific trend: improving yield, nutrient content and protecting crops from climatic,...
Let the Salty Waters Run
Posted by Deepa in Agriculture, Environment, Featured Articles, GM Foods on 07 15th, 2009 | No Comments
In a world full of worry over food scarcity, energy shortages, and fading non-renewable resources, plant biologists continue to bring us hope. This time that hope comes in the form of salt-tolerant crops.
A team of researchers, let by professor Mark Tester at the University of Adelaide’s Waite...
Nourishment via Herbicide?
Although many people may not realize it, almost every meal eaten by the average American contains a fair amount of corn. Home-cooked goodness and fast food alike, corn is a staple of the American diet. But where exactly is the corn if we can’t see it in our dinner of say, hamburgers and soda? Corn...
Creation of Super Plants
With the constant struggle to improve agricultural yield and provide solutions for our impending global hunger problems, scientists are working harder than ever to discover new means to create more efficient agricultural processes.
A recent study has made a significant leap towards producing crops without...
A little green goes a long way
Commercially available green jet fuels are on the horizon. Professor David Shonnard, Robbins Chair Chemical Engineering professor, completed a thorough study on the use of the Camelina Sativa weed as a replacement for petroleum jet fuel.
This plant requires very little agricultural input to yield large...
Plant-derived Therapy for Alzheimer’s?
Nearly 30 million people have developed Alzheimer’s disease worldwide, and millions more know the name of the incurable illness. Alzheimer’s disease is expected to affect four times as many people by the year 2050, a number as large as the population of Mexico.
In the United States, Alzheimer’s...
Marijuana Linked to Cancer
Posted by Pallavi in Featured Articles, Health, Marijuana Special Topic Week on 06 25th, 2009 | No Comments
Marijuana is one of the few illegal substances remaining that can still arguably be less harmful than other legal substances, like tobacco. Until now, little research had been conducted to prove that cannabis smoke could have detrimental effects on the health of those who inhaled it.
Research by Professor...
Didymo: Invasion on the Rocks
News Flash from plants’ photosynthetic cousins: Didymosphenia geminata, one of the fastest spreading single-celled algae strains in the world has struck again, this time in the waters of the Esopus Creek in Shandaken, New York.
Didymo, also known as Rock Snot, has been a growing concern for biologists...
Warning the Clones
University of California at Davis professor Richard Karban has published his most recent research in the latest edition of Ecology Letters. His research has shown that plants can warn nearby “clones,” or genetically identical cuttings, of forthcoming danger.
Karban’s group found that the sagebrush...
The Spectacular Debut of Snow Roots
Posted by Deepa in Environment, Featured Articles, Research, Strange But True on 06 18th, 2009 | No Comments
….brought to you by Evolution
The C. Conorhiza plant lives high in the Caucasus Mountains, which are nestled between the Black and Caspian Seas. A recent study in “Ecology Letters” reveals how C. Conorhiza plants thrive in the Caucasus Mountains, despite freezing temperatures at high altitudes.
A...
New Method of Gene Modification
Posted by Pallavi in Agriculture, Environment, Featured Articles, GM Foods on 06 17th, 2009 | No Comments
When I first learned about modifying genes in my high school biology class I found it a fascinating, yet scary concept. Learning about how DNA works allowed researchers to develop a method of inserting foreign DNA into organisms, a potential solution to many genetic problems. I remember when we inserted...
Parkinson’s and Pesticide
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by movement disorders, including tremors and bradykinesia, which are due to the insufficient production and action of dopamine in the brain. The cause of PD is not completely understood, though it is believed to be due to...
The Proof is in the Photosynthesis
In a recent study performed at the University of Alberta, signs of increased plant activity were found in a variety of arctic lakes. In the study, six lakes were tested for chlorophyll-a content deep down in the sediment. Chlorophyll-a is a byproduct of the process of photosynthesis and thus, an indicator...
Plant Immunity
The immune system amazed me when I first learned about it. How intriguing is it that our body is able to recognize, target and attack danger without harming what’s benign? One little failure in the immune system can prove catastrophic. It can lead to letting an invader win or allowing an autoimmune...
Antibiotic Resistance via Plant Fertilizer
The food chain can allow genes to be transferred from species to species across the planet. The consumption of many genes may not have any effect on us, but the consumption of say, an antibiotic-resistant bacterium, could potentially be very harmful. We are often notified of any outbreaks that could...
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