South African forests show pathways to a sustainable future

Native forests make up 1percent of the landscape in South Africa but could play a key role in reducing atmospheric carbon and identifying sustainable development practices that can be used globally to counter climate change, ...

Molecule flight speed for detecting drugs

The presence of cannabinoids in textile and pharmacological goods and the need to distinguish them from those found in drugs and psychotropics has led to the development of analytical techniques to differentiate them. A University ...

Spinal tap: Using cactus spines to isolate DNA

Isolation of DNA from some organisms is a routine procedure. For example, you can buy a kit at your local pharmacy or grocery store that allows you to swab the inside of your cheek and send the sample for DNA sequencing. ...

Improving DNA amplification from problematic plants

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a common technique used to amplify, or copy, pieces of DNA. Amplified DNA is then used in genetic analyses for everything from medicine to forensics. In plant research, PCR is a vital ...

Spot the chemical difference

(Phys.org) -- Scientists at Kew have devised a method to distinguish similar flavonoids when chemically profiling plant extracts.

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