WSU researchers see how plants optimize their repair
Pullman WA (SPX) Oct 22, 2014 -
Researchers led by a Washington State University biologist have found the optimal mechanism by which plants heal the botanical equivalent of a bad sunburn. Their work, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could lead to the development of crops that can repair the sun's damage more easily, improving yields and profitability.
Helmut Kirchhoff, an assistant profes ...
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Mediterranean, Semi-Arid Ecosystems Prove Resistant to Climate Change
Tel Aviv, Australia (SPX) Oct 22, 2014 -
Climate change predictions for the Middle East, like other arid regions of the world, are alarming. In an area known for its water scarcity, rainfall is expected to decrease even further in the near future, spelling disaster for the functioning of unique ecosystems - hotspots of biodiversity and rich genetic fodder for essential crops.
To test these dire predictions, Prof. Marcelo Sternber ...
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Autism autism evolved recently in human history
Bethesda MD (SPX) Oct 22, 2014 -
Human geneticists have discovered that a region of the genome associated with autism contains genetic variation that evolved in the last 250,000 years, after the divergence of humans from ancient hominids, and likely plays an important role in disease. Their findings were presented the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 2014 Annual Meeting in San Diego.
Researchers at the University ...
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The breathing sand
Kiel, Germany (SPX) Oct 22, 2014 -
New analytical methods show for the first time, how the permeable, sandy sediment at the bottom of the North Sea is supplied with oxygen and which factors determine the exchange. Because the metabolic rate is particularly high in this type of seabed, and the sediments are permeable, measurements are particularly complicated.
Based on the detailed investigation and new measurement technolog ...
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Massive debris pile reveals risk of huge tsunamis in Hawaii
Washington DC (SPX) Oct 22, 2014 -
A mass of marine debris discovered in a giant sinkhole in the Hawaiian islands provides evidence that at least one mammoth tsunami, larger than any in Hawaii's recorded history, has struck the islands, and that a similar disaster could happen again, new research finds.
Scientists are reporting that a wall of water up to nine meters (30 feet) high surged onto Hawaiian shores about 500 years ...
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Scientists create possible precursor to life
Odense M, Denmark (SPX) Oct 22, 2014 -
How did life originate? And can scientists create life? These questions not only occupy the minds of scientists interested in the origin of life, but also researchers working with technology of the future. If we can create artificial living systems, we may not only understand the origin of life - we can also revolutionize the future of technology.
Protocells are the simplest, most primitiv ...
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Australian volcanic mystery explained
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Oct 22, 2014 -
Scientists have solved a long-standing mystery surrounding Australia's only active volcanic area, in the country's southeast. The research explains a volcanic region that has seen more than 400 volcanic events in the last four million years.
The 500 kilometre long region stretches from Melbourne to the South Australian town of Mount Gambier, which surrounds a dormant volcano that last erup ...
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