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crossword puzzle
Ten Minute Sabbatical
Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse
Ten Minute Sabbatical
Ten Minute Sabbatical

Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse

Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse

plant biology, genetics & genomics

Sunflowers, in visible spectrum on left half (yellow colors) and UV spectrum on right half (purple and white colors).
Sunflowers’ Bee-Attracting Ultraviolet Also Helps Retain Moisture
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Feb 8, 2022 | 5 min read
The dual purposes of the plants’ hidden colors may conflict as the climate warms, authors of a new study suggest.
A fresh, peeled lychee fruit held above a harvest of fresh lychees
Genome Spotlight: Lychee (Litchi chinensis)
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Jan 27, 2022 | 3 min read
Whole genome sequences reveal multiple domestications of this agriculturally important tree and may hold the secrets to producing the sweet fruit year round.
Aphid Salivary Gene May Regulate Gall Color
Asher Jones | May 1, 2021 | 2 min read
Whether the galls that aphids make on witch hazel leaves are red or green is associated with a gene expressed in the insects’ salivary glands.
Long-Lived Trees’ Epigenetic Mutations Serve as a Molecular Clock
Jef Akst | Mar 1, 2021 | 2 min read
Cells found in different branches of a tree have different patterns of DNA methylation, changes in which accumulate over time.
Siobhán Brady Uses Big Data to Investigate Plant Development
Shawna Williams | Feb 1, 2021 | 3 min read
The University of California, Davis, professor is a pioneer in teasing apart the changes in gene expression that drive root development.
plant organelle plastid horizontal genome transfer
Watch a Plastid Squirm from One Plant Cell to Another
The Scientist | Jan 8, 2021 | 1 min read
Entire organelles bearing DNA move between strains of tobacco that were grafted to one another.
Plant Cells Swap Organelles
Abby Olena, PhD | Jan 7, 2021 | 3 min read
Their relocation explains horizontal genome transfer first described more than a decade ago.
Image of the Day: Tomato Domestication
Amy Schleunes | Mar 30, 2020 | 1 min read
Scientists identify a transcription factor that plays a key role in increased fruit size.
Sowing Seeds of Change
The Scientist | Mar 1, 2020 | 1 min read
Watch Profilee Joanne Chory deliver a TED talk on her project to breed climate change–busting plants.
Into the Light: A Profile of Joanne Chory
Emily Makowski | Mar 1, 2020 | 8 min read
The plant geneticist has revolutionized researchers’ understanding of how light affects plant growth and development, and is engineering plants to combat climate change.
Genomics Reveals How Humans Can Inadvertently Drive Plant Mimicry
Shawna Williams | Mar 1, 2020 | 4 min read
Hand weeding of fields spurred an interloper to evolve a rice-like appearance, researchers conclude.
Joe Louis Studies the Molecular Battles Between Plants and Insects
Shawna Williams | Mar 1, 2020 | 3 min read
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln entomologist wants to help pave the way for creating environmentally friendly tools to replace insecticides to control agricultural pests.
photo of green, tube-like Spirogloea muscicola
Genes from Bacteria Likely Aided Plants’ Move to Land
Shawna Williams | Nov 15, 2019 | 2 min read
An analysis suggests that DNA cribbed from soil microbes enabled plants’ ancestors to colonize a terrestrial environment.
An aerial view of a harvester in a cotton field
The Long Road to Edible Cottonseed
Shawna Williams | Oct 11, 2019 | 5 min read
The FDA recently cleared the way for marketing of the genetically modified product. Texas A&M’s Keerti Rathore speaks with The Scientist about why and how it was developed.
DEA Again Promises to Improve Access to Marijuana for Research
Ashley Yeager | Aug 26, 2019 | 3 min read
After years of stalling, the agency says it plans to provide notice on pending applications from growers—but only after it establishes new regulations for suppliers.
Montana State Geneticist Resigns After Harassment Allegations
Ashley Yeager | Jun 4, 2019 | 2 min read
An internal report finds Hikmet Budak touched students inappropriately and discriminated against them based on their country of origin, sex, marriage status, and other factors.
profile
Perennial Explorer: A Profile of Neelima Sinha
Anna Azvolinsky | Feb 1, 2019 | 8 min read
This University of California, Davis, botanist studies the genes that regulate plant anatomy.
bio business
Companies Use CRISPR to Improve Crops
Ashley P. Taylor | Feb 1, 2019 | 9 min read
The agritech industry is editing plant genomes to feed a growing population, expand the produce aisle, and make tastier, more convenient food products.
freeze frame
Caught on Camera
The Scientist | Feb 1, 2019 | 1 min read
Selected Images of the Day from the-scientist.com
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