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+15 +2
Oxford scientists discover how to alter colour and ripening rates of tomatoes
Scientists at the University of Oxford’s Department of Plant Sciences have discovered how the overall process of fruit ripening in tomato (including colour changes and softening) can be changed –speeded up or slowed down – by modifying the expression of a single protein located in subcellular organelles called the plastids. This offers a novel opportunity for crop improvement.
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+28 +4
Nobody cares about ugly flowers. Scientists pay more attention to pretty plants
New research found colour played a major role skewing researcher bias — pretty, vibrant flowers get more scientific attention than dull plants, regardless of their ecological significance.
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+4 +1
Natures Groceries - 12 Wild Edible Plants in Disturbed Forest Soil
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+8 +3
Edible Wild Food Blog » Burdock – A Valuable, Vigorous Vegetable
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+4 +1
The strange case of the trees that grow metal and how to harvest them
Agromining is a new process for extracting large quantities of metals such as cobalt and nickel from the sap and leaves of rare plants known as hyperaccumulators. Also, why do some people get sick after using Virtual Reality and is that holding back the technology? And a new approach to data storage and processing called Edge Computing.
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+19 +4
Earth’s oxygen will be gone in 1 billion years | EarthSky.org
A billion years from now, as the sun heats up, the warmer atmosphere will break down carbon dioxide, killing off plant life, which in turn will shut off Earth's source of oxygen.
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+10 +1
Breathing Life Into the Corpse Flower
In botanic gardens, the lineage of a famously smelly plant is threatened. Can a new collaborative program save it?
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+32 +6
Food for thought? French bean plants show signs of intent, say scientists
Many botanists dispute idea of plant sentience, but study of climbing beans sows seed of doubt
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+3 +1
7 Smokable Plants You Can Grow That Aren't Marijuana
Don't worry, it's totally legal
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+18 +2
Scientists race to find ancient bananas that can save one of the world's favourite fruits
In the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, 15-metre-tall ancestors of modern-day, cultivated bananas contain the precious genetics that could save the popular fruit from climate change, pests and disease.
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+10 +1
Chinese flower has evolved to be less visible to pickers
For thousands of years, the dainty Fritillaria delavayi has grown slowly on the rocky slopes of the Hengduan mountains in China, producing a bright green flower after its fifth year. But the conspicuous small plant has one deadly enemy: people, who harvest the flower for traditional Chinese medicine.
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+17 +2
'He was in agony': How the Australian stinging tree hurts — and keeps on hurting
Australia's rainforest-dwelling stinging trees are notoriously painful, and Queensland researchers say they now know why.
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+4 +1
Inside the Booming White Sage Black Market
As “smudging” has been appropriated from Native American use, the selling of sage offers a cautionary tale for the wellness economy—one where the intentions of users can be subverted by suppliers, and many sellers have no idea of their impacts.
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+16 +4
Researchers Discover Novel Molecular Mechanism That Enables Conifers to Adapt to Winter
Photosynthesis in conifer forests is one of the most important carbon sinks on a global scale. Unlike broadleaf trees, conifers are evergreen and retain their photosynthesis structure throughout the year. Especially in late winter, the combination of freezing temperatures and high light intensity exposes the needles to oxidative damage that could lead to the destruction of molecules and cell structures that contribute to photosynthesis. Researchers from the University of Turku have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that enables spruce trees to adapt to winter.
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+20 +3
Gene manipulation using algae could grow more crops with less water
Tobacco plants have been modified with a protein found in algae to improve their photosynthesis and increase growth, while using less water, in a new advance that could point the way to higher-yielding crops in a drought-afflicted future.
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+23 +8
Why are plants green?
When sunlight shining on a leaf changes rapidly, plants must protect themselves from the ensuing sudden surges of solar energy. To cope with these changes, photosynthetic organisms have developed numerous tactics. Scientists have been unable, however, to identify the underlying design principle. An international team of scientists, led by a University of California, Riverside, physicist, has now constructed a model that reproduces a general feature of photosynthetic light harvesting, observed across many photosynthetic organisms.
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+3 +1
Critically endangered herb thriving on Macquarie Island after seven-year feral animal eradication program
A critically-endangered herb once thought extinct on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island has been found growing at a new location as the world-heritage site continues its rabbit-free recovery. The remote island was declared free of pests in 2014, following a seven-year feral animal eradication project.
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+20 +3
The fight to save Europe's olive trees from disease
A plant disease spread by sap-sucking insects has been devastating olive and fruit orchards across southern Europe, but scientists are inching closer to halting its spread with the help of insect repelling clays, vegetative barriers and genetic analysis.
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+9 +3
The Trouble With Tumbleweed
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+1 +1
Grow Lights for Indoor Plants and Indoor Gardening: An Overview
Warm vs cool? 'Full-spectrum?' LED, CFL, or HID? Here's what you need to know about indoor grow lights for starting seeds, gardening inside, or houseplants.
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