100 million years ago, long before human intervention, ancestors of grasses, including wheat, rice and maize, developed "bypasses" in chemical pathways used to create two critical compounds: lignin and starch. These more ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 20, 2026
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14
Why is there sex—or, more precisely, sexual reproduction? If you're an evolutionary biologist, the answer isn't obvious. Sexual reproduction is biologically costly, requiring not only competition for mates but also the creation ...
Evolution
Aug 20, 2026
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15
In the last few centuries, mammals and other animals have been going extinct at least 100 times faster than they did before humans arrived on the scene. So who will be next? Which species are most likely to survive, and which ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 20, 2026
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8
Nearly every cell in the human body contains essentially the same genetic information, yet different cells activate different genes. For regulatory proteins to reach these genes, DNA must be accessible. This accessibility ...
Evolution
Aug 20, 2026
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8
The effects of global warming depend on species: The losers are legion, but a lucky few are winners. Now, researchers have shown that baleen whales are taking advantage of a newly opened-up fish bonanza in the Greenland Sea, ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 20, 2026
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20
Low concentrations of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide, NaOH) are more efficient than high doses for preparing organic waste for biogas production. This finding increases methane production, reduces reagent consumption and, ...
Biotechnology
Aug 20, 2026
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85
If you're not a bird person, you may not be able to distinguish between the different sounds birds make. Birdsong—the courting and territorial vocalization of songbirds—has been studied for decades, but less is understood ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 20, 2026
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19
Producing enough food is only one part of ensuring global food security. A new study shows that transport networks and economic inequality are important factors in determining global food accessibility. A research team led ...
Agriculture
Aug 20, 2026
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11
When was the last time you bought a loaf of bread?
Agriculture
Aug 20, 2026
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15
Inside every cell, thousands of proteins must reach the right place at the right time. Helping coordinate this complex logistics network are centriolar satellites—tiny, membraneless organelles that play important roles in ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 20, 2026
0
7
