http://www.greenseedling.com Plant science for everyone Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:00:52 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A few weeks ago, we discussed a method for generating electricity by using a biofuel cell and the power of photosynthesis from a cactus plant; therefore, when selecting this week’s topic, I thought it only appropriate to elaborate on a less prickly approach at harnessing power from plants. Researchers from the ... http://www.greenseedling.com/2010/03/11/pea-plants-a-spherical-approach-to-electrical-energy-production/ 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 across the ... http://www.greenseedling.com/2010/03/10/tobacco-good-for-our-health/ 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 fungi, viruses, and ... http://www.greenseedling.com/2010/03/09/potato-strain-resistant-to-black-dot-and-powdery-scab/ 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 ... http://www.greenseedling.com/2010/03/08/beans-sharing-the-nitrogen-love/ 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 battle with efficiency. The ... http://www.greenseedling.com/2010/03/05/location-location-location/ 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 ... http://www.greenseedling.com/2010/03/04/yeast-lowering-a-plants-winter-heat-bill/ 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 that inserting a human protein as a ... http://www.greenseedling.com/2010/03/03/meet-my-distant-cousin%e2%80%a6arabidopsis/ 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 ... http://www.greenseedling.com/2010/03/02/organic-anti-fungal-compound/ 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, ... http://www.greenseedling.com/2010/03/01/new-way-to-reduce-resistance-to-breast-cancer-drug/ 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 ... http://www.greenseedling.com/2010/02/26/root-hair-growth-explained/