Scientists are now using a procedure which brings forward ecological research on insects: They study gene functions in moth larvae by manipulating genes using the RNA interference technology (RNAi). RNAi is induced by feeding larvae with plants that have been treated with viral vectors. This method called "plant virus based ...

Land plants may have contributed to past extinctions and shaped modern rivers.

New research reveals how the arrival of the first plants 470 million years ago triggered a series of ice ages. The research reveals the effects that the first land plants had on the climate during the Ordovician Period, which ended 444 million years ago. During this period the climate gradually ...

Based on the results of a set of novel new experiments, scientists have theorized that the rise of terrestrial plants in Earth’s natural history may have initiated a series of ice ages that researchers have previously been at a loss to explain.According to the theory, as plants began to take ...

Every night millions of people go to bed hungry. New genetic technology can help us feed the world by making inedible seeds edible and tasty.

The widely used farm practice of grafting watermelon and other melon plants onto squash or pumpkin rootstocks results in larger amounts of certain pesticides in the melon fruit, scientists are reporting in a new study. Although only low amounts of pesticides appeared in the fruit in the study, the scientists ...

The widely used farm practice of grafting watermelon and other melon plants onto squash or pumpkin rootstocks results in larger amounts of certain pesticides in the melon fruit, scientists are reporting in a new study. Although only low amounts of pesticides appeared in the fruit in the study, the scientists ...

New research shows that a warmer climate will have quite different consequences for plant species in the Arctic. While most species are expected to lose part of their current habitat, the genetic consequences will differ markedly among species. The research results will have major impact on future conservation efforts.

Grain crops that produce less carotene can produce more food, especially in Africa, as they are less affected by parasitic plants. Agricultural researchers studied processes and technologies that could improve the control of the parasitic weed Striga both in the lab and in the field. He discovered that rice plants ...

Power plants are the biggest American producers of the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming, according to a study released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday.According to Dina Cappiello of the Associated Press (AP), those power plants released 72% of all greenhouse gases reported to the EPA ...

QAAFI and Queensland Government scientists have discovered promising new anti-microbial properties in a combination of natural-plant ingredients, including two common native Australian plums.

Climate change in the form of reduced snowfall in mountains is causing powerful and cascading shifts in mountainous plant and bird communities through the increased ability of elk to stay at high elevations over winter and consume plants, according to a groundbreaking study in Nature Climate Change.The U.S. Geological Survey ...