Showing 20 articles starting at article 581

< Previous 20 articles        Next 20 articles >

Categories: Biology: Botany, Offbeat: Computers and Math

Return to the site home page

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A study on 'canopy soils' on old trees in Costa Rica shows they are important habitats and carbon stores that cannot easily be replaced.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new AI technique enables a robot to develop complex plans for manipulating an object using its entire hand, not just fingertips. This model can generate effective plans in about a minute using a standard laptop.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new analysis has identified the top factors accounting for yield variability in processing sweet corn (used for canned and frozen products), including one within the control of processors.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have developed a flexible battery as thin as a human cornea, which stores electricity when it is immersed in saline solution, and which could one day power smart contact lenses.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fungi-eating orchids were found for the first time to offer their flowers to fungi-eating fruit flies in exchange for pollination, which is the first evidence for nursery pollination in orchids. This unique new plant-animal relationship hints at an evolutionary transition towards mutualistic symbiosis.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

An innovative bimanual robot displays tactile sensitivity close to human-level dexterity using AI to inform its actions.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

The measurement values determined in sufficiently precise measurements of physical systems will vary based on the relation between the past and the future of a system determined by its interactions with the meter. This finding may explain why quantum experiments often produce paradoxical results that can contradict our common-sense idea of physical reality.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When witch hazel plants are ready to disperse their seeds, the woody seed capsules split open, pressure builds up, and eventually the seeds shoot out like a bullet fired from a rifle, hitting 30 feet per second in less than five milliseconds. In a new study, researchers looked into how witch hazels manage to fling heavier seeds just as fast as lighter ones. The secret lies in their spring-loaded fruits.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Climate impacts such as dry, hot summers reduce the growth and increase the mortality of trees in the Black Forest because they negatively influence the climatic water balance, i.e., the difference between precipitation and potential evapotranspiration. That is the central finding of a long-term study of the influence of climate and climate change on trees in the Black Forest.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers combined human and ecological factors to analyze the global scale of non-native tree species invasions. Human activity in hotspots of global trade, such as maritime ports, is linked to an increased likelihood of non-native tree species invasions. However, a high diversity of native tree species can help to curb the intensity of such invasions.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) that has enabled a woman with severe paralysis from a brainstem stroke to speak through a digital avatar.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many plants and crops rely on insects to pollinate them so they can reproduce. A new study has shown that several flowering plants from the group Euonymus are pollinated by fungus gnats, a dipteran insect. Specifically, they pollinate Euonymus plants which have red-petaled flowers with short stamens and yogurt-like scent. Although fungus gnats are known to pollinate hundreds of plant species, this study shows that the particular traits of red Euonymus flowers were likely to have been acquired via pollination syndrome, evolving over a process of natural selection to be pollinated specifically by fungus gnats. This research highlights the important role of Diptera, which are commonly regarded as pests, in plant diversity and evolution.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The sensory hairs of the Venus flytrap contain a heat sensor that warns the plant of bush fires. It reacts to rapid temperature jumps, as researchers have discovered.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

By increasing the diversity of indigenous plants in urban areas, researchers have seen a seven times increase in the number of insect species in just three years, confirming the ecological benefits of urban greening projects.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has revealed Australia's iconic grasstrees -- known as 'yaccas' -- play a critical role in protecting wildlife from deadly weather extremes, thereby ensuring their survival. But the grasses themselves are under threat due to back burning, clearing and disease.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research shows that a single mutation that has immediate effects on plant fitness is maintained over the long term in natural plant populations, despite theories predict the contrary. The researchers located and identified the gene that regulates the amount of an active defense hormone. Mutants in this gene are susceptible to herbivore attack. However, they compensate for impaired defenses through robust genetic networks. When fewer herbivores attack, they even grow faster and produce more offspring.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Applying ground-up silicate rock to Midwestern farm fields can capture significant amounts of carbon dioxide and prevent it from accumulating in the atmosphere, according to a new study that successfully quantified those climate benefits for the first time.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Young vegetables known as microgreens are reputed to be particularly good for health. But are microgreens the superfood they're claimed to be, and how do they compare to mature veggies? Scientists have found that their nutritional profiles differ, as do their effects on gut bacteria. Yet, tests in mice suggest that both microgreen and mature vegetables can limit weight gain.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

One of the biggest obstacles to the uptake of plant-based alternatives to meat is their very dry and astringent feel when they are eaten. Scientists are now revolutionizing the sensation of plant proteins, transforming them from a substance that can be experienced as gloopy and dry to one that is juicy and plump. And the only substance they are adding to the plant proteins is water.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New findings have found that water use efficiency has stalled since 2001 which implies not as much CO2 was being taken in by plants and more water was consumed and that could have implications on carbon cycling, agricultural production and water resources.