(Phys.org)—A new review of a notebook filled with scrawlings by Isaac Newton shows that he very nearly uncovered the secret of how plants defy gravity by pulling water up from roots all the way into their stems and leaves. ...
Photosynthesis maintains Earth's habitability for life as we know it, and shapes the way we search for habitable worlds around distant stars. Scientists have discovered a microbe that can use low-energy light to perform photosynthesis. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 16, 2012
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In South-East Asia, the leaves of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes rafflesiana mimic flowers biochemically in order to trap insects.
Plants & Animals
May 7, 2010
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Nearly all of Earth's organisms communicate with each other in one way or another, from the nods and dances and squeaks and bellows of animals, through to the invisible chemical signals emitted by plant leaves and roots. ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 15, 2022
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170
Nature is inspiring scientists all the time. Some ideas are still in research, like beaver-inspired super-warm wetsuits. But others are already part of human life, like Velcro (based on burdock burrs) and the Japanese bullet ...
Materials Science
Jul 15, 2023
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Farmers in the United States witnessed record-breaking extremes in temperature and drought during the last two summers, causing worldwide increases in the costs of food, feed and fiber. Indeed, many climate scientists caution ...
Biotechnology
Jul 1, 2013
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Imagine being able to grow plants that could absorb even more CO2 from Earth's atmosphere and thereby help solve the world's climate problems. Humans have selected, bred and optimized plants to increase food production and ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 17, 2021
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Smoking tobacco might be bad for your health, but a genetically altered version of the plant might provide a relatively inexpensive cure for the deadly rabies virus. In a new research report appearing in The FASEB Journal, ...
Biotechnology
Feb 1, 2013
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Smooth wrinkles and sharply crumpled regions are familiar motifs in biological and synthetic sheets, such as plant leaves and crushed foils, say physicists Benny Davidovitch, Narayanan Menon and colleagues at the University ...
General Physics
Jun 8, 2012
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The size of leaves can vary by a factor of 1,000 across plant species, but until now, the reason why has remained a mystery. A new study by an international team of scientists led by UCLA life scientists ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 6, 2011
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