(Phys.org) —For decades, ecologists have assumed the worst invasive species—such as brown tree snakes and kudzu—have an "away-field advantage." They succeed because they do better in their new territories ...

Biology - Ecology

May 20, 2013 3.7 / 5 (3) 0 |

(Phys.org) —Researchers from North Carolina State University believe they have solved a puzzle that has vexed science since plants first appeared on Earth.

Biology - Biotechnology

Apr 15, 2013 5 / 5 (8) 5 |

You might think you have nothing in common with mustard except hotdogs. Yet based on research in a plant from the mustard family, Salk scientists have discovered a possible explanation for how organisms, ...

Chemistry - Biochemistry

Feb 05, 2013 5 / 5 (3) 0 |

(Phys.org)—Invasive species are known for disturbing their new homes. Whether it's the zebra mussels in the Great Lakes or garlic mustard in native woodlands, their rampant multiplication crowds out native ...

Biology - Ecology

Jan 21, 2013 5 / 5 (4) 1 |

(Phys.org)—In a paper just published in Nature Materials, a team of researchers that includes William T.M. Irvine, assistant professor in physics at the University of Chicago, has succeeded in creating a defect in the st ...

Nanotechnology - Nanomaterials

Oct 02, 2012 3.3 / 5 (3) 0 |

The tangy taste a mustard plant develops to discourage insect predators can be the difference between life and death for the plants. A new study has used this trait and its regional variations to conquer the difficult task ...

Biology - Evolution

Aug 30, 2012 5 / 5 (2) 0 |

Invasive species such as kudzu, privet and garlic mustard can devastate ecosystems, and, until now, scientists had little reason to believe that native plants could mount a successful defense.

Biology - Evolution

Jun 28, 2012 not rated yet 3 |

In Israel's Negev Desert, a plant called sweet mignonette or taily weed uses a toxic "mustard oil bomb" to make the spiny mouse spit out the plant's seeds when eating the fruit. Thus, the plant has turned ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Jun 14, 2012 3.3 / 5 (3) 0 |

Cocaine is one of the most commonly used (and abused) drugs, but we have almost no modern information on how plants produce this complex alkaloid. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology ...

Biology - Cell & Microbiology

Jun 06, 2012 5 / 5 (2) 9 |

Seed size is controlled by small RNA molecules inherited from a plant's mother, a discovery from scientists at The University of Texas at Austin that has implications for agriculture and understanding plant ...

Biology - Biotechnology

Apr 11, 2012 5 / 5 (1) 0 |

University of Alberta researcher Christina Engels has discovered how to extract a compound from mustard seeds that can protect against food spoilage.

Biology - Biotechnology

Mar 27, 2012 not rated yet 1

Researchers at the University of Missouri have found a key process in a plant's immune system response that may help future crops fight off dangerous diseases.

Biology - Biotechnology

Dec 08, 2011 not rated yet 0 |

Science usually progresses in small steps, but on rare occasions, a new combination of research expertise and cutting-edge technology produces a 'great leap forward.' An international team of scientists, whose ...

Biology - Biotechnology

Jul 28, 2011 5 / 5 (7) 0 |

(AP) -- France's health minister says experts are "99 percent sure" that the E. coli outbreak that put seven people in the hospital in Bordeaux region is the same strain of bacteria that killed 44 people - all but one in ...

Medicine & Health - Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Jun 26, 2011 5 / 5 (2) 0

(AP) -- British officials warned consumers Saturday against eating uncooked sprouts after authorities in France linked seeds distributed by an English vendor to an E. coli outbreak near the city of Bordeaux.

Medicine & Health - Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Jun 25, 2011 not rated yet 0