Exploring the interplay between phosphate signaling and jasmonate pathways in tea plants

Exploring the interplay between phosphate signaling and jasmonate pathways in tea plants

Phosphate starvation induced catechin biosynthetic gene expression and production accumulation. Credit: Horticulture Research (2024). DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae178 Catechins, the key active components in tea, are known for their protective effects against conditions like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. However, their biosynthesis is highly sensitive to environmental factors, particularly phosphate (Pi) availability, which is often scarce in … Read more

Research proposes theory to model interplay of personal and social beliefs

Research proposes theory to model interplay of personal and social beliefs

Credit: CC0 Public Domain The beliefs we hold develop from a complex dance between our internal and external lives. Our personal-level cognition and our relationships with others work in concert to shape our views of the world and influence how likely we are to update those views when we encounter new information. In the past, … Read more

Don’t overlook microorganisms’ role in planet health, scientists warn

Don’t overlook microorganisms’ role in planet health, scientists warn

Microbial contribution to the tree of life and to global living biomass. Credit: Cell (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.07.051 The tiniest and oldest creatures on—and in—Earth have a huge role in achieving a sustainable future for the planet, an international team of scientists, including faculty researchers from The Ohio State University, asserts in a new Cell article … Read more

Forever chemicals persist through waste incineration, researcher finds

Forever chemicals persist through waste incineration, researcher finds

Sofie Björklund has been studying PFAS substances in her doctoral project in collaboration with Umeå Energi. Credit: Mattias Pettersson PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” present in municipal solid waste can survive the high temperatures of waste incineration and continue to spread into the environment via residues from waste-to-energy plants. A new doctoral thesis from Sofie … Read more

Why universities must be wary of embracing AI-driven teaching tools

Why universities must be wary of embracing AI-driven teaching tools

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The university sector in Aotearoa New Zealand is at a tipping point due to chronic underfunding, shifting enrollments and increasing costs from inflation. In response, the government has established two working groups to assess the health of the sector and provide recommendations for the future. Meanwhile, universities find themselves increasingly beholden … Read more

More efficient isotope separation in sight

More efficient isotope separation in sight

Illustration of the preferential binding of heavy hydrogen (blue) to light hydrogen (white) at the metal centre, activated by the binding of a water molecule (oxygen red, hydrogen white). Credit: Leipzig University The lightest of all elements, hydrogen, is in great demand due to its promising role as a sustainable resource in the energy transition. … Read more

Observations provide crucial insights into the nature of a white dwarf–brown dwarf binary

Observations provide crucial insights into the nature of a white dwarf–brown dwarf binary

Broadband light curve of WD1032+011 generated by integrating each individual spectroscopic observation. Credit: French et al., 2024. Using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), astronomers have performed spectrophotometric observations of an eclipsing white dwarf–brown dwarf binary known as WD1032+011. Results of their observational campaign, published September 10 on the preprint server arXiv, yield important information regarding … Read more

What to do and how to stay safe

What to do and how to stay safe

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain California is home to eight species of rattlesnakes. The reptiles can be seen on hiking trails, rural roads and even in your backyard, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The California Poison Control System said it receives hundreds of reports of rattlesnake bites every year, especially during … Read more

What we know about the fire ‘pandemic’ plaguing Brazil

What we know about the fire ‘pandemic’ plaguing Brazil

Wildfires have consumed millions of hectares of land in recent weeks in Brazil. Brazil is burning. From the Amazon rainforest to the Pantanal wetlands, flames have consumed millions of hectares of forest and farmland in recent weeks. Nearly two-thirds of Latin America’s biggest country is under smoke. While fueled by extreme drought, which the government … Read more

Poor indoor air quality isn’t just making us sick. It’s also polluting our cities

Poor indoor air quality isn’t just making us sick. It’s also polluting our cities

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is one of the greatest environmental health challenges that we face today. Various studies have shown that in addition to the lungs, it affects essential organs like the heart and brain, and that those who suffer most from its consequences are the … Read more