COVID-19 Fallout Threatens Global Coffee Industry
COVID-19’s socio-economic effects will likely cause another severe production crisis in the coffee industry, according to a Rutgers University-led study. The study, which appears in…
Plant Science
Researchers Slow Down Grape Ripening to Improve Berry Quality for Winemaking
Wine grapes are particularly finicky when it comes to their environment. For instance, heatwaves and droughts lead to earlier berry ripening and lackluster wine. And…
Fiji: How Humans Brought Change to a Tropical Paradise
Early land clearance helped Fijian pollinators. After centuries of human impact on the world’s ecosystems, a new study from Flinders University details an example of…
New and Improved CRISPR 3.0 System for Highly Efficient Gene Activation in Plants
Multiplexed gene activation system allows for four to six times the activation capacity of current CRISPR technology, with simultaneous activation of up to seven genes…
Tree Pollen Facilitates COVID-19 Virus Spread – Carries SARS-CoV-2 Particles Farther
Computer model recreates a willow tree and nearby crowd to provide new perspective on social distancing measures. Most models explaining how viruses are transmitted focus…
Scientists Discover Unreported Plant Body Part – “I Thought It Must Be an Artifact of Genetic Contamination”
For many, the Thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) is little more than a roadside weed, but this plant has a long history with scientists trying to…
Tackling Food Allergies at the Source: Developing a Non-GMO Soybean Without the Allergenic Protein
Food allergies are a big problem. About 7% of children and 2% of adults in the U.S. suffer from some kind of food allergy. These…
Solving a Long-Standing Biological Mystery: How Cells Measure Themselves
Ever since scientists discovered cells under the microscope more than 350 years ago, they have noted that each type of cell has a characteristic size….
Hired Blade: Anchoring Complex in Plant Cells Recruits Its Own Katana Sword To Cut New Microtubules
Researchers from Nara Institute of Science and Technology find that an anchoring complex stabilizes microtubule creation sites within plant cells, then recruits katanin — named…
Artificial Photosynthesis Promises Clean, Sustainable Source of Energy
Humans can do lots of things that plants can’t do. We can walk around, we can talk, we can hear and see and touch. But…
Preventing the Spread of Plant Pandemics: New Tools Needed to Curb Threats to Global Food Security
Plant diseases don’t stop at national borders and miles of oceans don’t prevent their spread, either. That’s why plant disease surveillance, improved detection systems, and…
Allergy Season Starts Earlier and Lasts Longer Each Year Due to Climate Change and Pollen Transport
Scientists in Munich study how pollen from far distances — sometimes hundreds of kilometers away — affects the length of allergy seasons in Germany. Allergy…
Terpen-Tales: The Genetics Mystery Behind the Unique Fragrance of the Lovely Lavender
Scientists explain the genetics of what makes the smell of lavender special. Even the mention of lavender evokes the distinct fragrance of the flower. This…
70-Year-Old Coffee-Killing Fungus Brought Back to Life by Scientists – Here’s Why
Researchers have re-animated specimens of a fungus that causes coffee wilt to discover how the disease evolved and how its spread can be prevented. Coffee…
Beer Byproduct Mixed With Manure Proves an Excellent Pesticide – Increases Crop Yields
Byproducts from the beer and agricultural industry have been shown to reduce numbers of root-knot nematodes and increase yields of lettuce crops. The use of…
A Seedy Slice of History: Here’s Where Watermelons Actually Came From
Just in time for picnic-table trivia, a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences rewrites the origins of domesticated…
Fossil Pollen Shows Earth’s Vegetation Is Changing Faster Today Than It Has Over the Last 18,000 Years
A global survey of fossil pollen has discovered that the planet’s vegetation is changing at least as quickly today as it did when the last…
Virus Infection Cycle Revealed in Incredible Dynamic Detail
A critical process in the infection cycle of viruses has been revealed for the first time in dynamic detail using pioneering plant-based technology. Evidence about…
