Biologists discover gene that helps roots limit leaf growth
University of Utah biologists discovered a gene that allows a plant’s roots to tell the leaves to stop growing, presumably when water is scarce, soil is too compacted or other conditions are bad.
While roots obviously carry food and water to the leaves, the new findings help show how roots also send chemical signals that control whether or not leaves grow. How leaves grow is a crucial matter given that leafy p
Parasite genes reveal modern and archaic humans made contact
A University of Utah study showing how lice evolved with the people they infested reveals that a now-extinct species of early human came into direct contact with our species about 25,000 years ago and spread the parasites to our ancestors.
The study found modern humans have two genetically distinct types of head lice. One type is found worldwide and evolved on the ancestors of our species, Homo sapiens. The second
Autumn is marked out by spectacular changes in leaf colour as the greens of summer change into the yellows and reds of autumn. In parts of North American whole tourist industries are based on this change, but why do leaves turn these bright colours before falling off the trees?
New work by Dr Dave Wilkinson (an ecologist in the School of Biological and Earth Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University) and his colleague Martin Schaefer (University of Freiburg, Germany), published
A new type of ’smart’ clothing which adapts to changing temperatures to keep the wearer comfortable is being developed by two universities using nature as a guide.
The clothing will use the latest in micro technology to produce material which will let in air to cool a wearer when it is hot and shut out air when it is cold. This is similar to a system used by pine cones to open up and emit seeds.
The University of Bath and the London College of Fashion are jointly
Coatings used to protect the exposed wooden parts of buildings have to withstand all kinds of weather. To avoid over-frequent renovation, architects, builders and house-owners are advised to look for a reliable quality label. The relevant European standard is being revised.
A weather-beaten mountain chalet might look charming – but assaults by heat and cold, rain and sunshine, will eventually destroy even highly weather-resistant timber like larch. Outdoor paint or varnish is expecte
The corrosiveness of a specific atmosphere can be established in a few weeks by thin slices of special glass. The sensors are capable of monitoring the outdoor environment as well as indoors, for instance in sensitive production processes such as chip fabrication.
Where does a Landrover develop rust faster: in the dusty Sahara or parked in front of an English stately home? The answer’s obvious: In rainy Britain of course. But the rate at which corrosion sets in is not only dependent
Researchers have learned how to commandeer the complex machinery that cells use to recognize and respond to such important molecules as steroid hormones, thyroid hormones and vitamin D.
The development could provide a foundation for a new family of biologically-based mechanisms able to detect common drugs, chemical weapons and other small molecules. By allowing manipulation of this cellular protein machinery – known as nuclear receptors – the technique could also lead to new method
Used plastic wrappings and containers make good fuel if incinerated, but are also dumped in huge quantities on landfill sites. Researchers are developing a compostable packaging tape that can be disposed of more cheaply, and ultimately creates less waste.
Companies often have to dig deep in their pockets to get rid of plastic packaging and the adhesive tape that holds it together. It costs about 100 euros to dispose of a metric ton of plastic waste by incineration and about 60 euros
A new method will detect club root far more efficiently than before. This implies less waste and higher profits in farming.
Club root disease is very harmful to cultivated crucifers, i.e. various forms of brassica, especially cabbage. In Norway and in the rest of the world, huge crops are infected by the disease each year. For the farmer, crop failure may be up to 100 percent.
“So far we have lacked a quick method of detecting club root infections in the soil. Now we are i
Many accidents, especially at night, are caused by motorists having to take their eye off the road as they look down to see the car instruments. Head-up displays would be a solution, were they not so expensive and bulky. OEDIBUS has an innovative solution.
Driving at night is dangerous. Research shows that, although less than one third of all driving is done at night, over 50 per cent of the fatalities occur during this period. For pedestrians, 60 per cent of fatalities occur during the hours
“The results of the research we have carried out on the genome of viruses, specifically on nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs; Baculoviridae) will help to understand how genetic systems evolve. This discovery is of great importance when we take into account that NPVs have shown to have great insecticide potential for the control of agricultural and forestry plagues, above all for the cultivation of maize in countries such as Mexico and Honduras”. This is one of the conclusions of the PhD thesis “Funct
On October 3rd, the German research vessel “Polarstern” of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research will return to Bremerhaven from its 20th arctic expedition. During the last leg of the voyage, 44 scientists from Germany, Russia and South Korea, supported by crew members, helicopter pilots and technical staff, investigated the region north and west of Spitsbergen. Emphasis was placed on geophysical and geological studies of Fram Strait and Yermak Plateau. Of primary importance wer
The International Conference “European Legislation to Promote Bioenergy”, November 8th and 9th in Brussel, offers special opportunities to engage in direct communication with outstanding speakers from the Parliament and the Commission through organised bilateral meetings, and create contacts among participants.
EU legislation drives bioenergy
European policy strengthens its influence on the energy and environmental sectors towards bioenergy development and climate change
A drug refined from cottonseed oil and previously tried and abandoned as a male contraceptive could boost the effectiveness of treatment for prostate cancer and possibly other common cancers as well, according to new research from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Results of the study will be reported Oct. 1 at the Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Geneva, Switzerland. The symposium is sponsored by the European Organization for Research a
A substantial number of older persons — from 2 to 10 percent of the elderly population — are physically or mentally abused, and mistreated seniors are three times more likely to die within three years than those who are not abused, report two Cornell University gerontologists in this week’s issue of the medical journal The Lancet.
Reviewing more than 50 articles, Karl Pillemer, professor of human development in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell, has collaborated with D
A new set of measurements has allowed a Florida State University geochemist to confirm what other scientists have only suspected about what lies deep below the Earth’s surface.
Professor Munir Humayun has found that there is a higher iron content in the Earth’s mantle beneath Hawaii compared to other regions of the mantle. Hotspot islands, such as Hawaii, arise from hot plumes of solid rock from deep within the mantle or the core-mantle boundary that ascend at rates of a
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