A standard metagenomic workflow can be divided into three main stages: Experimental Design, Sequencing Rationale, and Taxonomy & Functional Classification. Credit: Frontiers in Plant Science (2024). DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1405042 Despite there being more microbes on Earth than stars in our galaxy, only a tiny fraction have been discovered. An approach called metagenomics—a type of DNA sequencing—may … Read more
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain It’s important to eat your veggies, but some essential vitamins and nutrients can only be found in animals, including certain amino acids and peptides. Now, in a proof-of-concept study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers have developed a method to produce creatine, carnosine and taurine—all animal-based nutrients … Read more
Carlos Nobre, 73, is one of the world’s top experts on the Amazon rainforest, and used to be bullish on the vital region’s prospects. A year ago, Carlos Nobre, one of Brazil’s top climate scientists, was a rare voice of optimism about the future of the planet. The 73-year-old, one of the top experts on … Read more
GPS collars worn by cattle recorded location and grazing activity. Credit: Julie Kray Targeted livestock grazing is a successful and cost-efficient method to manage cheatgrass in the U.S. western Great Plains when timed to coincide with cheatgrass growth rather than based solely on the time of year, according to a recent study published by USDA’s … Read more
Replication at the gas-water interface. We considered a geological scenario in which water, containing biomolecules, is evaporated by a gas flow at the scale of millimeters. In volcanic porous rock, many of such settings can be imagined. The gas flow induces convective water currents and causes it to evaporate. Dissolved nucleic acids and salts accumulate … Read more
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Phones can be useful tools in classrooms to remind students of deadlines or encourage more exchange between students and teachers. At the same time, they can be distracting. Students report using their phones for non-academic purposes as often as 10 times a day. Thus, in many classrooms, phones are not allowed. … Read more
Visiting heliconias: left, a Purple-throated carib (Eulampis jugularis) and right, a Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola). Credit: Ethan Temeles/Amherst College Most flowering plants depend on animals for pollination. In warm wet tropical regions, more than 90% of plant species are pollinated by animals. In Dominica, a Caribbean island country, researchers have identified a mutualistic relationship between two … Read more
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A new analysis of a decade-long collection of wildlife rescue records in NSW has delivered new insights into how humans and reptiles interact in urban environments. Researchers from Macquarie University worked with scientists from Charles Darwin University, and the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to analyze … Read more
In total, the research has identified 33 plant diversity darkspots, listed as botanical countries, of which 14 were found to span the Asia-Tropical region. Credit: RBG Kew An ambitious project led by scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, along with global partners, seeks to shed light on the planet’s “plant diversity darkspots”—regions teeming with … Read more
Wristband worn by study participants. Credit: David Volz/UCR A new study documents how Southern Californians are chronically being exposed to toxic airborne chemicals called plasticizers, including one that’s been banned from children’s items and beauty products. Plasticizers are chemical compounds that make materials more flexible. They are used in a wide variety of products ranging … Read more
