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science

Barley's Secret Weapon: How It Survives Waterlogging During Germination

January 26, 2025

Barley, a key crop for animal feed, beer, and food, faces a big challenge: waterlogging. This stress can really slow down seed germination and hurt seedling growth. Scientists wanted to figure out how barley handles this. They studied two types of barley seeds under water stress: one tough (LLZDM) a

science

Understanding the Impact of Bacteria on Citrus Immune System

January 26, 2025

Citrus plants face a tough enemy in the form of Huanglongbing (HLB), a severe disease caused by the bacteria Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). These bacteria can manipulate plant immune responses, making infection management crucial. Scientists have been studying three specific bacteria prot

science

A New Branch on the Human Family Tree?

January 26, 2025

Imagine the human family tree is a big puzzle. Scientists have been adding new pieces for years. Recently, they found some bones in China that don't fit any known ancient human relative. These bones belong to a new species with a huge brain, even bigger than ours! Some scientists think this species

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Chemicals in Products: What Databases Tell Us

January 26, 2025

Knowing what chemicals are in products is crucial for keeping people safe, following rules, and letting products be reused. Scientists looked at databases from different places to see what information they have. They found 57 databases, but many are different in what they cover and how they show dat

science

TRAF1: A Surprising Helper in Bone Resorption

January 26, 2025

Did you know that the same protein that helps your body respond to certain cellular signals also plays a part in bone breakdown? Meet Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 1, or TRAF1 for short. This little-known player has been found to boost osteoclastogenesis, the process that leads to

science

Moving Vesicles Through Tiny Openings: A Closer Look

January 26, 2025

Imagine tiny, bubble-like structures called vesicles trying to squeeze through tiny holes in a membrane. This isn't just a fun exercise in physics—it's how some parasites invade our cells and how drugs might someday deliver their payload through our skin. Researchers used a combination of computer m

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How Feedback Affects Our Judgment of Complex Decisions

January 26, 2025

Ever wondered how we judge our own performance when faced with tough decisions? It turns out, our ability to think about our thinking, called metacognition, plays a big role. This is especially true when decisions are complex and need lots of mental energy, like in economic choices. But how do we es

science

Dissecting Liverwort Evolution: How Temperature Shapes Their Diversity

January 26, 2025

Have you ever wondered how liverworts, those tiny plants, became so diverse? Scientists have been looking into this. They found that when it comes to elevation and temperature, liverworts have a cool past and some hotspots for diversity. By tracking their evolution across mountains worldwide, they d

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Discovering Soybean's Secret Weapon: The Sec14 Gene Family and Its Role in Stress Tolerance

January 26, 2025

Ever wonder how plants survive harsh conditions like dry spells or salty soils? One key player is the Sec14 gene family, a group of genes with a special domain that helps regulate lipids, the building blocks of cell membranes. This family has been around since the days of yeast, and it's found in al

science

Transforming Carbon Dioxide: A New Way with Enzyme-Amyloid Hybrids

January 26, 2025

Did you know that certain proteins can help turn carbon dioxide into sugar? Scientists have found a way to stabilize and enhance the work of these proteins, called enzymes. They created a platform using a special type of protein structure called amyloid fibrils. This platform can hold several enzyme