Roots are normally associated with things that live underground, in the damp and the dark. Think of turnips, radishes and yams. However, many plants make their roots above ground. Ivy uses its roots to climb on buildings and the mighty ficus tree uses them to support their large branches. What makes plants form roots in the “wrong place,” so to speak? That would be like us humans sprouting legs from our shoulders.
Researchers have overlooked especially minuscule gene fragments that are critical to the assembly of cellular machinery and could help better trace the evolutionary history of plants, says a new study.
Massive study of the relationships among grasses provides insight to the evolution of a type of photosynthesis involved in heat and drought tolerance.
The whole genome of 628 wild and cultivated plants have been analyzed to unravel some details of the complex American tomato history.
New research has identified more than 1,000 edible plants that could address vitamin B deficiencies for thousands of people.
A study shows that growing carp, mitten crabs, or softshell turtles in rice paddies could help farmers produce food in a more sustainable way.
Local and Indigenous communities warn of a significant decrease in the abundance of wild edible plants and mushrooms that negatively impacts their nutrition and food security, from local to global scales.
In new research, scientists used bioinformatics and deep sequencing to identify soil viruses and better understand their roles in the Earth. Most of these viruses infect bacteria, and are thus thought to play an important part in maintaining microbial populations.
The carnivorous Venus flytrap can be anaesthetised with ether. Some surprising parallels to anaesthesia in humans emerge.
Research team shows potential for sustainable land use in Madagascar the most important country for vanilla production – the fragrant ingredient that is a favourite flavour for ice cream, cakes and cookies.
