A species of bacteria that eats iron and turns it into magnetic particles could one day build your computer’s memory.Researchers at the University of Leeds have capitalized on the natural ability of the bacterium,Magnetospirillum magneticum, to eat atom-sized bits of…
Adding a charred biomass material called biochar to glacial soils can help reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists. Studies by scientists with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS)…
Can organic agriculture feed the world? Although organic techniques may not be able to do the job alone, they do have an important role to play in feeding a growing global population while minimizing environmental damage, according to researchers at…
Soils store more carbon than the atmosphere and living plants. But scientists don’t know why some organic compounds persist for centuries or even thousands of years in soils, while others quickly decompose. This longstanding mystery is addressed in a review…
A team of John Innes centre scientists lead by Professor Nick Harberd have discovered how plants evolved the ability to adapt to changes in climate and environment. Plants adapt their growth, including key steps in their life cycle such as…
When a plant goes into defense mode in order to protect itself against harsh weather or disease, that’s good for the plant, but bad for the farmer growing the plant. Bad because when a plant acts to defend itself, it…
Scientists have pinned down the constituent of olive oil that gives greatest protection from heart attack and stroke. In a study of the major antioxidants in olive oil, Portuguese researchers showed that one, DHPEA-EDA, protects red blood cells from damage…
Researchers have found that consuming fruit bolsters cells’ power centers against harmful free radicals. Atmospheric oxygen facilitated the evolution and complexity of terrestrial organisms, including human beings, because it allowed nutrients to be used more efficiently by those organisms, which…
There is a strong need to launch awareness campaigns for farmers regarding actual advantages of the GM crops and dangers (if any) There is a roaring debate going on in some sections of the country over potential and actual benefits…
Carnivory is behind the evolutionary success of humankind. When early humans started to eat meat and eventually hunt, their new, higher-quality diet meant that women could wean their children earlier. Women could then give birth to more children during their…
