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Categories: Biology: Botany, Energy: Technology
Published Biosensor reveals gibberellin's critical role in legume nitrogen-fixation -- paving the way for self-fertilizing cereals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers demonstrate that the plant hormone gibberellin (GA) is essential for the formation and maturation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules in legumes and can also increase nodule size.
Published Heat-sensitive trees move uphill seeking climate change respite
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Trees in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest are migrating in search of more favourable temperatures with species in mountain forests moving uphill to escape rising heat caused by climate change.
Published Strategic emission caps key to ammonia industry decarbonization, researchers find
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research has revealed critical insights into how strategic emission cap choices can lead to cost-effective, near-100% ammonia industry decarbonization while avoiding issues such as land use constraints and grid congestion.
Published Novel electrode for improving flowless zinc-bromine battery
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The flowless zinc-bromine battery (FLZBB) is a promising alternative to flammable lithium-ion batteries due to its use of non-flammable electrolytes. However, it suffers from self-discharge due to the crossover of active materials, generated at the positive graphite felt (GF) electrode, to the negative electrode, significantly affecting performance. Now, researchers have developed a novel nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon-coated GF electrode that effectively suppresses self-discharge. This breakthrough can lead to practical applications of FLZBB in energy storage systems.
Published Groundcherry gets genetic upgrades: Turning a garden curiosity into an agricultural powerhouse
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Imagine a small fruit that tastes like a cross between a tomato and a pineapple, wrapped in its own natural paper lantern. That's the groundcherry (Physalis grisea) -- a little-known relative of tomatoes that's been quietly growing in gardens and small farms across North America for centuries. Now, this humble fruit is getting a 21st-century upgrade thanks to some cutting-edge genetic research.
Published Soft, stretchy 'jelly batteries' inspired by electric eels
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed soft, stretchable 'jelly batteries' that could be used for wearable devices or soft robotics, or even implanted in the brain to deliver drugs or treat conditions such as epilepsy.
Published Reef pest feasts on 'sea sawdust'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have uncovered an under the sea phenomenon where coral-destroying crown-of-thorns starfish larvae have been feasting on blue-green algae bacteria known as 'sea sawdust'.
Published Discovery of a hybrid lineage offers clues to how trees adapt to climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The discovery of a hybrid population of poplar trees in western Wyoming has provided insight into how natural hybridization informs the evolution of many plant species, according to researchers. They also said their discovery suggests that genetic exchange between species may be critical for adaptation to environmental change.
Published Scientists use machine learning to predict diversity of tree species in forests
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers used machine learning to generate highly detailed maps of over 100 million individual trees from 24 sites across the U.S. These maps provide information about individual tree species and conditions, which can greatly aid conservation efforts and other ecological projects.
Published History shows that humans are good for biodiversity... sometimes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Humans have been an important driver of vegetation change over thousands of years, and, in some places, had positive impacts on biodiversity, according to a new study.
Published Building a roadmap to bioengineer plants that produce their own nitrogen fertilizer
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Nitrogen fertilizers make it possible to feed the world's growing population, but they are also costly adn harm ecosystems. However, a few plants have evolved the ability to acquire their own nitrogen with the help of bacteria, and a new study helps explain how they did it, not once, but multiple times.
Published Study examines urban forests across the United States
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Tree-planting campaigns have been underway in the United States, especially in cities, as part of climate mitigation efforts given the many environmental benefits of urban forests. But a new study finds that some areas within urban forests in the U.S., may be more capable than trees growing around city home lawns in adapting to a warmer climate.
Published A chemical claw machine bends and stretches when exposed to vapors
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have developed a tiny 'claw machine' that is able to pick up and drop a marble-sized ball in response to exposure to chemical vapors. The findings point to a technique that can enable soft actuators--the parts of a machine that make it move--to perform multiple tasks without the need for additional costly materials. While existing soft actuators can be 'one-trick ponies' restricted to one type of movement, this novel composite film contorts itself in different ways depending on the vapor that it is exposed to.
Published How plant cold specialists can adapt to the environment
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Evolutionary biologists studied spoonworts to determine what influence genome duplication has on the adaptive potential of plants. The results show that polyploids -- species with more than two sets of chromosomes -- can have an accumulation of structural mutations with signals for a possible local adaptation, enabling them to occupy ecological niches time and time again.
Published Researchers create groundbreaking cotton quality model to aid farmers
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have produced a cotton quality module -- a part of a larger forecasting tool -- allowing cotton producers to better monitor crop quality under changing environmental conditions.
Published Engineers' probe could help advance treatment for spinal cord disease, injury
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Neuroscientists have used a nanosized sensor to record spinal cord neurons in free-moving mice, a feat that could lead to the development of better treatments for spinal cord disease and injury.
Published Wild plants and crops don't make great neighbors, research finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Native plants and non-native crops do not fare well in proximity to one another, attracting pests that spread diseases in both directions, according to two new studies.
Published Not so simple: Mosses and ferns offer new hope for crop protection
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Mosses, liverworts, ferns and algae may offer an exciting new research frontier in the global challenge of protecting crops from the threat of disease.
Published Tackling the challenge of coca plant ID: Wild vs cultivated for cocaine
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new paper reveals that it's not as straightforward as it might seem. Despite decades of data collection by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which has been valuable to monitor changes in areas occupied by illegal coca plantations in South America, there is no reliable scientific method to distinguish between different types of coca plants.
Published Researchers show promising material for solar energy gets its curious boost from entropy
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers discovered a microscopic mechanism that solves in part the outstanding performance achieved by a new class of organic semiconductors known as non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs).