Thanks to an experiment started before the Great Depression, researchers have pinpointed the genes behind the remarkable adaptability of barley, a key ingredient in beer and whiskey. These insights could ensure the crop's ...
How are stars born, and how do they die? How do they produce the energy that keeps them burning for billions of years? How do they create the elements we observe today? Definitive answers to these questions continue to elude ...
When we talk about the microbiome, most of us think of the trillions of microorganisms that live in our bodies, supporting everything from digestion to mental health.
A research group has developed an innovative method for the biofortification of leaves and other green plant tissues, increasing their content of healthy substances such as beta-carotene, the main precursor of vitamin A in ...
Though a founding concept of ecology suggests that the physical environment determines where organisms can survive, modern scientists have suspected there is more to the story of how microbial communities form in the soil.
Our world today is populated by multicellular organisms, from big trees to climate-wrecking humans. This multicellularity arose independently in plants and animals. Both animals and plants cope differently with the challenges ...
What do firefighting foam, non-stick cookware, water-repellent textiles and pesticides all have in common? They all contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS—human-made chemicals that don't break down naturally. ...
It takes a lot of helpers to build up the protein complexes required for photosynthesis and to constantly repair them in strong light. Photosynthesis takes place before our eyes every day in every single little green leaf—yet ...
The movement of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the surface of the ocean, where it is in active contact with the atmosphere, to the deep ocean, where it can be sequestered away for decades, centuries, or longer, depends on a number ...
Depression is a significant challenge to diagnose and treat. Among the factors influencing depression onset and severity, there is growing evidence for chemical imbalances that generate oxidative stress throughout the body. ...
