News Archive
Scientists transform tobacco into factory for high-value proteins
Claire Benjamin
For thousands of years, plants have produced food for humans, but with genetic tweaks, they can also manufacture proteins like Ebola vaccines, antibodies to combat a range of…
Great Barrier Reef coral provides correction factor to global climate
Lois Yoksoulian
Newly developed geological techniques help uncover the most accurate and high-resolution climate records to date, according to a new study. The research finds that the standard…
A warming Midwest increases likelihood that farmers will need to irrigate
Diana Yates
If current climate and crop-improvement trends continue into the future, Midwestern corn growers who today rely on rainfall to water their crops will need to irrigate their…
Fast, efficient way to build amino acid chains
Ananya Sen
Scientists often build new protein molecules by stringing groups of amino acids together. These amino acid chains, called polypeptides, are the building…
Scientists stack algorithms to improve predictions of yield-boosting crop traits
Claire Benjamin
Hyperspectral data comprises the full light spectrum; this dataset of continuous spectral information has many applications from understanding the health of the Great Barrier…
'Fettuccine' may be most obvious sign of life on Mars
Diana Yates
A rover scanning the surface of Mars for evidence of life might want to check for rocks that look like pasta, researchers report in the journal Astrobiology.
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Breakthrough to measure plant improvements helps boost production
Claire Benjamin
An international team is using advanced tools to develop crops that give farmers more options for sustainably producing more food on less land. To do this, thousands of plant…
Stephen Long Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Diana Yates
Stephen P. Long, a professor of crop sciences and plant biology at the University of Illinois, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest…
Injections, exercise promote muscle regrowth after atrophy in mice
Diana Yates
By injecting cells that support blood vessel growth into muscles depleted by inactivity, researchers say they are able to help restore muscle mass lost as a result of…
Project aims to revive natural product discovery
Emily Scott
The mid-20th century was the golden age of natural product discovery. Scientists discovered groundbreaking drugs, like penicillin and tetracycline, from sources in nature.…
Drugs reprogram genes in breast tumors to prevent endocrine resistance
Sharita Forrest
Treating breast tumors with two cancer drugs simultaneously may prevent endocrine resistance by attacking the disease along two separate gene pathways, scientists at the…
Reducing energy required to convert CO2 waste into valuable resources
Lois Yoksoulian
Surplus industrial carbon dioxide creates an opportunity to convert waste into a valuable commodity. Excess CO2 can be a feedstock for chemicals typically derived from fossil…