Viral proteins join forces to lower plants' defense 'shields'

New research, led by Washington State University scientists, into how viral proteins interact and can be disabled holds promise to help plants defend themselves against viruses—and ultimately prevent crop losses.

Important role of prokaryotic viruses in sewage treatment

Prokaryotic viruses (phages) existing in activated sludge (AS), a biological treatment process widely used in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), act to regulate the composition of microbial community in the activated sludge. ...

Pest attack-order changes plant defenses

The dining time of different insects impacts a plant's defenses and nutritional quality—a complexity uncovered in new research with implications for pest management strategies.

EXPLAINER: What's making mid-Atlantic songbirds sick?

A mysterious ailment has sickened and killed thousands of songbirds in several mid-Atlantic states since late spring. While scientists are still racing to confirm the cause, it seems juvenile birds may be most susceptible. ...

Filter membrane renders viruses harmless

Viruses can spread not only via droplets or aerosols like the new coronavirus, but in water, too. In fact, some potentially dangerous pathogens of gastrointestinal diseases are water-borne viruses.

Tropical species are moving northward as winters warm

Notwithstanding last month's cold snap in Texas and Louisiana, climate change is leading to warmer winter weather throughout the southern U.S., creating a golden opportunity for many tropical plants and animals to move north, ...

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