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Robot identifies plants by 'touching' their leaves

Researchers in China have developed a robot that identifies different plant species at various stages of growth by "touching" their leaves with an electrode. The robot can measure properties such as surface texture and water ...

Sweet switch: Sorbitol's key role in apple plant growth strategy

Apple trees, like many perennial plants, endure a prolonged juvenile stage before reaching maturity, during which they experience complex developmental changes. These transitions impact photosynthetic traits, growth rates, ...

Natural tolerance to weed killer uncovered in bryophytes

Herbicide resistance poses a challenge to producing enough food for a growing population. Sam Caygill and colleagues at the Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences discovered how a large group of ...

Birds, bees and bats working together means more macadamia nuts

An international research team led by the universities of Göttingen and Hohenheim in Germany has gained new insights into how the interaction of birds, bees and bats significantly increases the quantity and quality of macadamia ...

Genetic study solves the mystery of 'selfish' B chromosomes in rye

Some chromosomes, such as B chromosomes, can increase their inheritance rate to their own advantage. These extra chromosomes are found in many plants, animals, and fungi and rely upon various strategies to avoid being eliminated ...

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Plants & Animals
Stalling a disease that could annihilate banana production is a high-return investment in Colombia
Molecular & Computational biology
Maternal small RNAs determine the fate of hybrid seeds in plants, finds study
Plants & Animals
Heat hardiness: Scientists identify key phase for tomato heat tolerance
Biotechnology
New research could simplify genetic transfer of nitrogen fixation to food crops
Biotechnology
Biorefining process could make grass digestible for pigs, chickens, and fish
Molecular & Computational biology
Improving pulse flours for consumer use: Using synchrotron light to determine optimal particle size for milling
Plants & Animals
Research team investigates climate change impact on pecan orchards
Biotechnology
Plant engineering method promises to dramatically improve biofuel and bioproduct development
Plants & Animals
Invasive fruit fly species puts parts of Southern California's Orange County under quarantine
Molecular & Computational biology
Scientists reveal strigolactone perception mechanism and role in tillering responses to nitrogen
Ecology
Sprinkling plants with water found effective in keeping spider mites off raspberry leaves
Plants & Animals
Accumulation of polystyrene nanoplastics in leaves poses threats to plants, study shows
Evolution
Biologists discover how plants evolved multiple ways to override genetic instructions
Ecology
Grocery stores are more reliable than sushi restaurants in labeling salmon properly, Seattle study finds
Biotechnology
Lab-cultured plant yogurt rivals dairy creaminess
Molecular & Computational biology
New research may lead to potatoes that are less reliant on nitrogen fertilizers
Ecology
Making farming better for bees: Can we breed crops that produce more nectar and pollen?
Agriculture
Making 'stressed' potatoes more climate-resilient
Ecology
Food security in Africa: Managing water will be vital in a rapidly growing region
Biotechnology
Spraying rice with zinc oxide nanoparticles protects yields during heat waves, study finds

Other news

Environment
Study finds four global policies could eliminate >90% of plastic waste and 30% of linked carbon emissions by 2050
Bio & Medicine
Scientists engineer stable protein complexes for targeted cancer therapies
Plants & Animals
Survey provides a snapshot of scientific thought on animal emotions and consciousness
Plants & Animals
Experiments show backyard birds learn from their new neighbors when moving house
Mathematics
A 41-million-digit prime number is the biggest ever found—but mathematicians' search for perfection will continue
Earth Sciences
Industrial snow: Factories trigger local snowfall by freezing clouds
Evolution
Q&A: Holobiont biology, a new concept for exploring how microbiome shapes evolution of visible life
Cell & Microbiology
Picky proteins: Understanding yeast adaptor protein selectivity
Optics & Photonics
Scientists discover laser light can cast a shadow
Astronomy
Astronomers inspect the nature of an X-ray binary with a red supergiant
Astronomy
Hubble sees aftermath of galaxy's scrape with Milky Way
Nanomaterials
Discarded silk yarn can clean up polluted waterways—researchers develop hollow sphere silk particles to test adsorption
General Physics
A proposed experiment to test whether gravity behaves as a quantum entity when measured
Biochemistry
Chemists develop dissipative droplet system capable of chemotactic movement
Nanophysics
Designing a spiral ladder-inspired tool that allows precision control of light direction and polarization
Evolution
Genetic legacy of Jomon hunter-gatherers linked to increased BMI in modern Japanese populations
Social Sciences
Texting abbreviations makes senders seem insincere, study finds
Plants & Animals
'Catastrophic declines': Massive data haul reveals why so many plants and animals suffer after fire
Bio & Medicine
Detecting cancer in urine: Nanowire-based capture of micro-ribonucleic acids
Condensed Matter
Physicists identify key mechanism behind chiral charge density wave in TiSe₂

Skin cell discovery could help Atlantic salmon fend off sea lice

Scientists at the Institute of Aquaculture are central to a study that could hold the key to improving Atlantic salmon's resistance to sea lice. The parasites—which feed on the fish's skin and fins, causing open wounds ...

Dutch bluetongue cases accelerating: official

Cases of bluetongue, a viral disease affecting sheep and cows, have shot up in the Netherlands according to official figures published Thursday, as the virus spreads also in France and Germany.