Speeding up photorespiration boosts crop production
Reading Time: < 1 minutePLANTS such as soybeans and wheat waste between 20 and 50 per cent of their energy recycling toxic chemicals created when the enzyme Rubisco—the most prevalent enzyme in the world—grabs oxygen molecules instead of carbon dioxide molecules. Increasing production of a common, naturally occurring protein in plant leaves could boost the yields of major food […]
Multi-nutrient rice against malnutrition
Reading Time: < 1 minuteRESEARCHERS from ETH Zurich led by Navreet Bhullar from the Institute of Molecular Plant Biology have genetically modified (GM) one of the most commonly grown varieties of rice. The ETH researchers developed rice lines with iron increases equaling more than 90 per cent of the recommended iron content and up to 170 per cent of […]
GMOs key to saving world from hunger
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDURING the 68th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting held on June 24-29, Nobel Laureate Sir Richard J. Roberts delivered an Agora Talk about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) emphasising the benefits of GMOs and how they can provide nutritious food to developing countries across the globe. Roberts, who is leading the initiative “Laureates Letter Supporting Precision Agriculture […]
What causes the difference in colour of egg yolks?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteYOLK colour does not affect the flavour, nutritive value or quality of an egg. However, to some people who are concerned about their egg yolk coming out pale or white, be rest assured that it is just an indicator of the kind of diet provided to the layer. For example, pasture-raised hens produced eggs with […]
Fall Armyworm keeps spreading and becomes more destructive
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How do butterflies taste?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAS funny as it sounds, butterflies’ taste receptors are located at their feet, so they actually use their feet to taste. Their feet are similar to those of taste buds of the human tongue. These receptors in butterflies are used to test presence of toxins or other detriments that could harm. There are contact chemoreceptors […]
Ancient DNA testing solves 100-year-old controversy in Southeast Asian prehistory
Reading Time: 3 minutesTWO competing theories about the human occupation of Southeast Asia have been debunked by groundbreaking analysis of ancient DNA extracted from 8,000 year-old skeletons. Southeast Asia is one of the most genetically diverse regions in the world, but for more than 100 years scientists have disagreed about which theory of the origins of the population […]
Southeast Asian forest loss greater than expected, with negative climate implications
Reading Time: 2 minutesRESEARCHERS using satellite imaging have found much greater than expected deforestation since 2000 in the highlands of Southeast Asia, a critically important world ecosystem. The findings are important because they raise questions about key assumptions made in projections of global climate change as well as concerns about environmental conditions in Southeast Asia in the future. […]
Smart Bandages
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA team of engineers led by Tufts University has developed a prototype bandage designed to actively monitor the condition of chronic wounds and deliver appropriate drug treatments to improve the chances of healing. While the lab-tested bandages remain to be assessed in a clinical context, the research, published today in the journal Small, is aimed at […]
Bacteria-powered solar cell converts light to energy
Reading Time: 2 minutesUNIVERSITY of British Columbia (UBC) researchers have found a cheap, sustainable way to build a solar cell using bacteria that convert light to energy. Their cell generated a current stronger than any previously recorded from such a device, and worked as efficiently in dim light as in bright light. This innovation could be a step […]