Like the little engine that could, the University of Nevada, Reno experiment to transform wastewater sludge to electrical power is chugging along, dwarfed by the million-gallon tanks, pipes and pumps at the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility where, ultimately, the plant’s electrical power could be supplied on-site by the process University researchers are developing.
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Analysis of the chocolate genome could lead to improved crops and products
The sequencing and analysis of the genome for the Criollo variety of the cacao tree, generally considered to produce the world’s finest chocolate, was completed by an international team led by Claire Lanaud of CIRAD, France, with Mark Guiltinan of P…
Discovery of the secrets that enable plants near Chernobyl to shrug off radiation
Scientists are reporting discovery of the biological secrets that enable plants growing near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant to adapt and flourish in highly radioactive soil — legacy of the 1986 nuclear disaster in the Ukraine. Their study, whi…
Wildflower ‘armors’ itself against disease
An unusual wildflower that accumulates metals in its leaves has been found to use them as a kind of ‘armor’ against bacterial infection. Scientists from Oxford University have shown that when Alpine pennycress (Thlaspi caerulescens) plants accumulate…
Making cookies that are good for your heart
COLUMBIA, Mo. ¬ — Years of research has proven that saturated and trans fats clog arteries, make it tough for the heart to pump and are not valuable components of any diet. Unfortunately, they are contained in many foods. Now, a University of M…
Nature’s gift for gardening may hold key to biodiversity
Gardeners are used to cross-breeding flowers to produce pretty petals or sweet scents — now scientists have shown the importance of nature’s talent for producing new types of flowers.
DNA analysis of wild evergreen rhododendrons in the Himalayas…
Discovery offers hope of saving sub-Saharan crops from devastating parasites
TORONTO, ON — Each year, thousands of acres of crops are planted throughout Africa, Asia and Australia only to be laid to waste by a parasitic plant called Striga, also known as witchweed. It is one of the largest challenges to food secur…
First discovery of bilirubin in a flower announced
MIAMI, FL — A research team led by Cary Pirone from the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida International University has identified bilirubin in the popular Bird of Paradise plant. The breakthrough study, published in the September 201…
Microbial breakthrough impacts health, agriculture, biofuels
URBANA — For the first time ever, University of Illinois researchers have discovered how microbes break down hemicellulose plant matter into simple sugars using a cow rumen bacterium as a model.
“This is ground-breaking research,” said Isaac Ca…
Potomac River: 10-fold increase in native submerged vegetation reflects improved water quality
The Potomac River in Washington, D.C. is showing multiple benefits from restoration efforts, newly published research suggests. Reduced nutrients and improved water clarity have increased the abundance and diversity of submerged aquatic vegetatio…
AgriLife research hibiscus breeder comes up with the blue
VERNON — Dr. Dariusz Malinowski is seeing blue, and he is very excited.
For four years, Malinowski, an AgriLife Research plant physiologist and forage agronomist in Vernon, has been working with collaborators Steve Brown of the Texas Foun…