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Categories: Biology: Botany, Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published Looking for 'LUCA' and the timing of cellular evolution



LUCA, the 'last universal common ancestor' of all living organisms, lived 4.32 to at most 4.52 billion years ago. What LUCA looked like is unknown, but it must have been a cell with among others ribosomal proteins and an ATP synthase.
Published Forest modeling shows which harvest rotations lead to maximum carbon sequestration



Forest modeling shows that a site's productivity -- an indicator of how fast trees grow and how much biomass they accumulate -- is the main factor that determines which time period between timber harvests allows for maximum above-ground carbon sequestration.
Published Consumers, florists differ on floral arrangements



Consumers don't necessarily pay attention to florists' arrangement design elements. And consumer love roses -- a lot.
Published New percussion method to detect pipeline elbow erosion



An engineering research team is pioneering a new method, based on percussion, to detect pipeline elbow erosion to prevent economic losses, environmental pollution and other safety issues.
Published New research suggests plants might be able to absorb more CO2 from human activities than previously expected



New research paints an uncharacteristically upbeat picture for the planet. This is because more realistic ecological modelling suggests the world's plants may be able to take up more atmospheric CO2 from human activities than previously predicted.
Published Novel measurement technique for fluid mixing phenomena using selective color imaging method



A novel measurement technique has been developed to visualize the fluid flow and distribution within two droplets levitated and coalesced in space using fluorescence-emitting particles. This technique enabled the estimation of fluid motion within each droplet, thereby revealing the internal flow caused by surface vibration when the droplet merging promotes fluid mixing.
Published Nuclear expansion failure shows simulations require change



A team of researchers looked back at a model that predicted nuclear power would expand dramatically in order to assess the efficacy of energy policies implemented today.
Published Plants that survived dinosaur extinction pulled nitrogen from air



Ancient cycad lineages that survived the extinction of the dinosaurs may have done so by relying on symbiotic bacteria in their roots to fix atmospheric nitrogen. The finding came from an effort to understand ancient atmospheres, but became an insight into plant evolution instead.
Published Hemp cannabinoids may have evolved to deter insect pests



Cannabinoids, naturally occurring compounds found in hemp plants, may have evolved to deter pests from chewing on them, according to new research that showed higher cannabinoid concentrations in hemp leaves led to proportionately less damage from insect larvae.
Published Genetic discovery promises high-iron vegetables and cereals



A genetic breakthrough has opened new opportunities for iron-fortified vegetables and cereal crops to help address the global health issue of anemia.
Published New laser setup probes metamaterial structures with ultrafast pulses



A new technique offers a safe, reliable, and high-throughput way to dynamically characterize microscale metamaterials. The method could speed up the development of acoustic lenses, impact-resistant films, and other futuristic materials.
Published Research provides crucial insights into moss growth under elevated CO2 levels that may benefit climate change models



Approximately 12,000 species of mosses exist and cover close to four million square miles of earth, equivalent to the size of Canada, and are ecologically and evolutionarily important. Mosses play an essential role in rainwater retention, decreasing plant pathogens and increasing carbon sequestration in soil, thus improving the overall soil health. Mosses also protect long-term carbon storage systems, such as bogs and permafrost.
Published Putting sound waves to work to create safer public spaces



Absorbing excess sound to make public environments like theaters and concert halls safer for hearing and using the unwanted sound waves to create electricity is the aim of a new paper. The authors built a system of piezoelectric sensors that can be installed in walls, floors, and ceilings to absorb sound waves and collect their energy. They used computer simulations to fine-tune variables including the voltage needed to power the main device component, the frequency and intensity of the input sound, and piezoelectric sensors tested in parallel and serial configurations.
Published A tale of two proteins: Fundamental research could make growing better crops like clockwork



Rhomboid-like protein 10, or RBL10, is thought to be an enzyme that degrades other proteins in the chloroplast membrane, but its function is largely unknown. Researchers are studying how RBL10 affects photosynthetic membrane lipid metabolism, an essential process in photosynthesis.
Published New discovery on how green algae count cell divisions illuminates key step needed for the evolution of multicellular life



An international research team has made an unexpected discovery of a biased counting mechanism used by the single-celled green alga Chlamydomonas to control cell division.
Published New study indicates C4 crops less sensitive to ozone pollution than C3 crops



Researchers have studied the effects of elevated O3 on five C3 crops (chickpea, rice, snap bean, soybean, wheat) and four C4 crops (sorghum, maize, Miscanthus × giganteus, switchgrass). Their findings indicate that C4 crops are much more tolerant of high O3 concentrations than C3 crops.
Published Yeast cells can produce drugs for treatment of psychotic disorders



An international team of researchers has demonstrated that genetically engineered yeast cells can produce the natural plant product alstonine, which has shown positive effects in treating schizophrenia.
Published New AI noise-canceling headphone technology lets wearers pick which sounds they hear



Researchers have developed deep-learning algorithms that let users pick which sounds filter through their headphones in real time. Either through voice commands or a smartphone app, headphone wearers can select which sounds they want to include from 20 classes, such as sirens, baby cries, speech, vacuum cleaners and bird chirps.
Published A fifth of European Red List flora and fauna species may be at risk of extinction



A new analysis of 14,669 threatened species of plants and animals found in Europe reveals that about one fifth face the risk of extinction, and that agricultural land-use change poses a significant threat to these species.
Published Identifying a silicon transporter to improve the yield of rice



Researchers identify a membrane transporter in rice that regulates the accumulation and localization of silicon in the leaves.