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Categories: Biology: Botany, Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published Researchers assemble pathogen 'tree of life'



Researchers provide open-access tool to capture new data on a global plant destroyer, Phytophthora.
Published DELLA proteins could hold key to the next Green Revolution



A family of 'promiscuous' proteins found in all land plants is responsible for many different plant functions, despite remaining relatively unchanged for over 450 million years.
Published Smart films help to make loudspeakers lighter and more energy-efficient



Scientists are developing intelligent materials that are opening up new avenues in sound reproduction technology: lightweight loudspeakers that use far less energy than their conventional counterparts, novel shapes for sound and signal generators and applications involving noise cancelling textiles. The basis for these smart materials are ultrathin silicone films that can act as artificial muscles with their own built-in sensors.
Published Ants took over the world by following flowering plants out of prehistoric forests


Today, ants are pretty much everywhere. To learn more about how these insects conquered the world, scientists used a combination of fossils, DNA, and data on the habitat preferences of modern species to piece together how ants and plants have been evolving together over the past 60 million years. They found that when flowering plants spread out from forests, the ants followed, kicking off the evolution of the thousands of ant species alive today.
Published Scientists analyze sounds emitted by plants


Researchers have recorded and analyzed sounds distinctly emitted by plants. The click-like sounds, similar to the popping of popcorn, are emitted at a volume similar to human speech, but at high frequencies, beyond the hearing range of the human ear.
Published How plants cope with the cold light of day -- and why it matters for future crops


New research has discovered a cold 'coping' mechanism that is under the control of the plant biological clock and could offer solutions to breeding more resilience into crops less suited to cold climates.
Published Moths are more efficient pollinators than bees, shows new research


Moths are more efficient pollinators at night than day-flying pollinators such as bees, finds new research.
Published Pulsing ultrasound waves could someday remove microplastics from waterways


Colorful particles of plastic drift along under the surface of most waterways. These barely visible microplastics -- less than 5 mm wide -- are potentially harmful to aquatic animals and plants, as well as humans. Now, a team reports a two-stage device made with steel tubes and pulsing sound waves that removes most of the plastic particles from real water samples.
Published What do the elements sound like?


In chemistry, we have He, Fe and Ca -- but what about do, re and mi? Using a technique called data sonification, a recent college graduate has converted the visible light given off by each of the elements into soundwaves. The notes produced for each element are unique, complex mixtures and are the first step toward an interactive, musical periodic table.
Published Earth's first plants likely to have been branched


A new discovery changes ideas about the origin of branching in plants.
Published Researchers find clue to help plants grow with low phosphorus levels


Phosphorus is a natural mineral found in fertilizer that is essential for plant growth and development, and Earth's agricultural-grade phosphorus reserves are expected to be depleted in 50 to 100 years. A new discovery is changing their understanding of iron toxicity in plants caused by low phosphorus levels.
Published Can insights from the soapbark tree change the way we make vaccines?


The medicinal secrets of the Chilean soapbark tree have been laid bare, unlocking a future of more potent, affordable, and sustainably sought vaccines. Researchers have taken a major step forward in addressing this problem, by using a combination of genome mining and bioengineering techniques to produce saponin-based vaccine adjuvants in the laboratory without harvesting material directly from trees.
Published Deceptive daisy's ability to create fake flies explained


Researchers have discovered how a South African daisy makes fake lady flies on its petals to trick male flies into pollinating it.
Published Microplastics limit energy production in tiny freshwater species


Microplastic pollution reduces energy production in a microscopic creature found in freshwater worldwide, new research shows.
Published Without this, plants cannot respond to temperature


Scientists have significantly advanced the race to control plant responses to temperature on a rapidly warming planet. Key to this breakthrough is miRNA, a molecule nearly 200,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair.
Published Genome of a drought-tolerant plant: Many genes are involved in 'resurrection'


Some plants can survive months without water, only to turn green again after a brief downpour. A recent study shows that this is not due to a 'miracle gene.' Rather, this ability is a consequence of a whole network of genes, almost all of which are also present in more vulnerable varieties.
Published Phytoplankton blooms offer insight into impacts of climate change


The first study into the biological response of the upper ocean in the wake of South Pacific cyclones could help predict the impact of warming ocean temperatures, researchers believe.
Published Road noise makes your blood pressure rise -- literally


If you live near a busy road you might feel like the constant sound of roaring engines, honking horns and wailing sirens makes your blood pressure rise. Now a new study confirms it can do exactly that.
Published Photosynthesis 'hack' could lead to new ways of generating renewable energy


Researchers have 'hacked' the earliest stages of photosynthesis, the natural machine that powers the vast majority of life on Earth, and discovered new ways to extract energy from the process, a finding that could lead to new ways of generating clean fuel and renewable energy.
Published Forest growing season in eastern U.S. has increased by a month


The growing period of hardwood forests in eastern North America has increased by an average of one month over the past century as temperatures have steadily risen, a new study has found.