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plant biology, genetics & genomics

Corn Chronicle
Molly Sharlach | Jan 8, 2015 | 2 min read
A genetic analysis of ancient and modern maize clarifies the crop’s checkered domestication history.
Sexless Hook-Up
Jyoti Madhusoodanan | Sep 1, 2014 | 2 min read
Genome fusion at stem graft junctions can generate new plant species.
Interspecies RNA Shuffle
Anna Azvolinsky | Aug 14, 2014 | 4 min read
Researchers report the first example of large-scale RNA-based communication between species—a parasitic plant and two of its hosts. 
Putting Up Resistance
Kerry Grens | Jun 1, 2014 | 10+ min read
Will the public swallow science’s best solution to one of the most dangerous wheat pathogens on the planet?
Rusty Waves of Grain
Kerry Grens | May 31, 2014 | 1 min read
See how a ruinous fungus that attacks wheat wreaks its damage.
Week in Review: March 31–April 4
Tracy Vence | Apr 4, 2014 | 3 min read
Transcriptional landscape of the fetal brain; how a parasitic worm invades plants; difficulties reproducing “breakthrough” heart regeneration method; oxytocin and dishonesty
Week in Review: March 17–21
Tracy Vence | Mar 20, 2014 | 3 min read
Protein appears to protect stressed neurons; vitamin A’s lifelong effects on immunity; stem cells influenced by substrates; supercharged photosynthesis through nanotechnology
Week in Review: March 3–7
Tracy Vence | Mar 7, 2014 | 3 min read
The gene behind a butterfly’s mimicry; the evolution of adipose fins; bacteria and bowel cancer; plants lacking plastid genomes
Plants Without Plastid Genomes
Ed Yong | Feb 27, 2014 | 3 min read
Two independent teams point to different plants that may have lost their plastid genomes.
Genome Digest
Abby Olena, PhD | Jan 7, 2014 | 5 min read
What researchers are learning as they sequence, map, and decode species’ genomes
Stranger than Fiction
Mary Beth Aberlin | Jan 1, 2014 | 3 min read
Plant biology: You can't make this stuff up.
Genomes Gone Wild
Megan Scudellari | Jan 1, 2014 | 10+ min read
Weird and wonderful, plant DNA is challenging preconceptions about the evolution of life, including our own species.
On The Origin of Flowers
Ed Yong | Dec 19, 2013 | 4 min read
The genome of Amborella trichopoda—the sister species of all flowering plants—provides clues about this group’s rise to power.
Genome Digest
Abby Olena, PhD | Nov 18, 2013 | 5 min read
What researchers are learning as they sequence, map, and decode species’ genomes
Mislabeled Microbes Cause Two Retractions
Ed Yong | Oct 10, 2013 | 5 min read
Two papers on plant immunity have been retracted, and questions remain about others with similar results. 
Ripening Genes Pegged
Bob Grant | Jun 13, 2013 | 2 min read
Researchers identify thousands of plant genes activated by the gaseous hormone ethylene, which influences ripening, pathogen defense, growth regulation, and more.
In Evolution's Garden
Megan Scudellari | Jun 1, 2013 | 9 min read
Raising one evolutionary question after another, Brandon Gaut has harvested a crop of novel findings about how plant genomes evolve.
Plant DNA Largely Unchanged
Jef Akst | Apr 15, 2013 | 2 min read
Today’s tulip trees carry similar mitochondrial DNA as those that grew in the time of the dinosaurs.
Microbial Perfume
Edyta Zielinska | Jul 23, 2012 | 1 min read
Rather than rely on plant-derived products, biotech companies are engineering bacteria and yeast to produce ingredients for fragrances.
Finding Phenotypes
Edyta Zielinska | Apr 1, 2012 | 2 min read
Genes shared across species that produce different phenotypes – deafness in humans and directional growth in plants – may reveal new models of disease.
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