News tagged with plant engineering

Plant growth without light control: Synthetic photoreceptor stimulates germination and development

Plants are dependent on the sun. Sunlight does not only supply them with energy, but also controls their development steps. So-called photoreceptors activate the processes of germination, leaf development, ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 16, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1

Fukushima lesson: Prepare for unanticipated nuclear accidents

A year after the crisis at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, scientists and engineers remain largely in the dark when it comes to fundamental knowledge about how nuclear fuels behave under extreme conditions, ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Mar 08, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 6 | with audio podcast

Plant neighbors 's(c)ent' to protect

People and animals are not the only ones who can smell. Plants are also able to perceive odors, but they process them in a very different way . While insects or mammals smell odors within a second of exposure, plants require ...

Biology / Ecology

created Mar 05, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Supreme Court rejects emergency carp measures

(AP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to order emergency measures that might prevent Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes, despite a warning that the exotic fish pose a "dire threat" to the region's ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created Feb 27, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 2

Fuel from market waste

Mushy tomatoes, brown bananas and overripe cherries -- to date, waste from wholesale markets has ended up on the compost heap at best. In future it will be put to better use: Researchers have developed a new ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1

Microbubbles provide new boost for biofuel production

The technique builds on previous research in which microbubbles were used to improve the way algae is cultivated.

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jan 26, 2012 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Science to help rice growers affected by Japan's tsunami

Under a year since a huge tsunami inundated paddy fields in Japan with salty sludge, scientists are near to developing locally-adapted, salt-tolerant rice. Following a Japan-UK research collaboration, a new ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jan 22, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (4) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Sorghum a sweet treat for zoo animals

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scraps from sweet sorghum harvested for biofuel production enrich the diets of elephants, monkeys, parrots and other animals in Tucson' Reid Park Zoo.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 20, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Chemically scrubbing CO2 from the air too expensive

(PhysOrg.com) -- While it is possible to chemically scrub carbon dioxide from Earth's atmosphere in order to lessen the severity of global warming, the process is prohibitively expensive for now. Best to focus ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 12, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 63 | with audio podcast

GE investing $1B in Bay Area software hub

(AP) -- General Electric Co., a maker of power plants, jet engines and medical imaging equipment, said Thursday that it is investing $1 billion in a new software headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area with plans to hire ...

Technology / Business

created Nov 17, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Hybrid power plants can help industry go green

Hybrid cars, powered by a mixture of gas and electricity, have become a practical way to "go green" on the roads. Now researchers at Tel Aviv University are applying the term "hybrid" to power plants as well.

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Nov 03, 2011 | popularity 2.3 / 5 (3) | comments 5

Fruit fly intestine may hold secret to the fountain of youth

One of the few reliable ways to extend an organism's lifespan, be it a fruit fly or a mouse, is to restrict calorie intake. Now, a new study in fruit flies is helping to explain why such minimal diets are ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Nov 02, 2011 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (17) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Dividing corn stover makes ethanol conversion more efficient

(PhysOrg.com) -- Not all parts of a corn stalk are equal, and they shouldn't be treated that way when creating cellulosic ethanol, say Purdue University researchers.

Biology / Biotechnology

created Oct 25, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

The establishment of genetically engineered canola populations in the US

Large, persistent populations of genetically engineered canola 1 have been found outside of cultivation in North Dakota. As genetically engineered crops become increasingly prevalent in the United States, concerns remain ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Oct 05, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Nuclear contamination found beyond Japan no-go zone

High levels of radioactive contamination have been found in soil in the capital of Japan's Fukushima prefecture, a study showed Wednesday, prompting calls to make the area a voluntary evacuation zone.

Space & Earth / Environment

created Oct 05, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1