Blackberries with no thorns? Scientist assembles genome of a blackberry in major step to breed better fruit
Thornless, disease-resistant, and tastier blackberries could be on the horizon—thanks to new genetic research from the University of Florida.
Thornless, disease-resistant, and tastier blackberries could be on the horizon—thanks to new genetic research from the University of Florida.
Plants are susceptible to a wide range of pathogens. For the common potato plant, one such threat is Pectobacterium atrosepticum, a bacterium that causes stems to blacken, tissues to decay, and often leads to plant death, resulting in significant agricultural losses each year.
The less intensively you manage the soil, the better the soil can function; for example, not plowing as often or using more grass-clover mixtures as cover crops. These are the conclusions of a research team led by the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW).
Around the world, millions of tons of small fish are processed into fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) each year—key ingredients in aquaculture that help farmed fish, like salmon, grow. A new University of British Columbia (UBC) study has revealed the global distribution of FMFO
Criegee intermediates (CIs)—highly reactive species formed when ozone reacts with alkenes in the atmosphere—play a crucial role in generating hydroxyl radicals (the atmosphere's "cleansing agents") and aerosols that impact climate and air quality. The syn-CH3CHOO is
An atomic clock research team from the National Time Service Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has proposed and implemented a compact optical clock based on quantum interference enhanced absorption spectroscopy, which is expected to play an important role in
It's telling that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration wants to fire bureaucrats. In its view, bureaucrats stand for everything that's wrong with the United States: overregulation, inefficiency and even the nation's deficit, since they draw salaries from taxpayers.
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have shown that the Cryptosporidium parasite exports a protein into infected intestinal cells, altering the gut environment and enabling the parasite to survive and replicate.
No more rancid hazelnuts: A research team at the URV has developed a method that can identify nuts that have gone bad due to oxidation. The technique uses infrared light to determine the chemical composition of hazelnuts without even removing them from their shells.
In a world where innovation and progress depend on effective teamwork, a new study reveals how sexist behavior within teams sabotages not just individuals, but the very fabric of collaboration.
A small bone found 30 years ago at Dinosaur Cove in southeastern Australia could turn what we know about the evolution of echidnas and platypuses on its head.
Scientists from China, the UK and the U.S. have collaborated to analyze the inner workings of Bolivia's "zombie" volcano, Uturuncu. By combining seismology, physics models and analysis of rock composition, researchers identify the causes of Uturuncu's unrest, alleviating fears
The next great earthquake isn't the only threat to the Pacific Northwest. A powerful earthquake, combined with rising sea levels, could significantly increase flood risks in the Pacific Northwest, impacting thousands of residents and properties in northern California, Oregon,
Through intensive breeding, humans have pushed breeds such as pug dogs and Persian cats to evolve with very similar skulls and "smushed" faces, so they're more similar to each other than they are to most other dogs or cats.
Scientists at Northwestern University and University of California, Santa Barbara have created the first synthetic fragment of tau protein that acts like a prion. The "mini prion" folds and stacks into strands (or fibrils) of misfolded tau proteins, which then transmit their
It would be difficult to understand the inner workings of a complex machine without ever opening it up, but this is the challenge scientists face when exploring quantum systems. Traditional methods of looking into these systems often require immense resources, making them
He Qinglin's group at the Center for Quantum Materials Science, School of Physics, has reported the first observation of non-reciprocal Coulomb drag in Chern insulators. This breakthrough opens new pathways for exploring Coulomb interactions in magnetic topological systems and
The P160C qualification motor was successfully tested on 24 April at the European Spaceport in French Guiana, on the solid-propellant booster test stand (BEAP) operated by the French Space Agency (CNES). The successful test firing of the first P160C motor is a major milestone
Extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) is a unique form of circular DNA that exists outside of normal chromosomes. Found exclusively in tumor cells, it often carries cancer-promoting genes (oncogenes) and is detectable in most human cancers.
A team of scientists who study vertebrate fossil tracks and traces on South Africa's southern Cape coast have identified the world's first fossil pangolin trackway, with the help of Indigenous Master Trackers from Namibia. Ichnologists Charles Helm, Clive Thompson and Jan De
Heavy actinides—elements at the bottom of the periodic table, after plutonium—are radioactive, rare and chemically complex, making them notoriously difficult to study. Most studies conducted on these elements have traditionally been done one-compound-at-a-time or extrapolated
Rapid urbanization and climate change are intensifying urban flash floods and waterlogging, especially in coastal cities. In a new study published in Risk Sciences, a duo of researchers explore the growing challenges and offer practical solutions for building resilient and
A recent study published by political scientists at Freie Universität Berlin, Christopher Olk and Louis Miebs, indicates that the global cryptocurrency system has been undergoing significant transformations. The crypto system, which was originally intended as an alternative to
A number of New York dairy farms achieve low greenhouse gas emissions due to sustainable management practices like growing a high proportion of their own feed and making the most of manure, according to new research. The findings establish the first regional baseline for dairy
Glaciers provide a unique opportunity for researchers to measure levels of atmospheric carbon deposition. Unlike other terrestrial ecosystems, these slow-moving rivers of ice do not have other large reservoirs of soil or vegetation that might obscure how much carbon they
Research led by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC), with the participation of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), has reconstructed the history of pollution in the seabed of the Cantabrian Sea and the northwestern
For decades, scientists believed Vesta, one of the largest objects in our solar system's asteroid belt, wasn't just an asteroid and eventually concluded it was more like a planet with a crust, mantle and core. Now, Michigan State University has contributed to research that
New research has revealed the fundamental mechanisms that limit the performance of copper catalysts—critical components in artificial photosynthesis that transform carbon dioxide and water into valuable fuels and chemicals.
Imagine materials that build themselves, responding intelligently to their environment to deliver drugs precisely where needed, scaffold regenerating tissues, or clean up pollutants. These are the promises of supramolecular gels, fascinating soft materials formed by the
The Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES), ESA's state-of-the-art timekeeping facility, has been successfully installed on the International Space Station, marking the start of a new chapter in space-based precision science.
We've all been there—trying to peel a boiled egg, but mangling it beyond all recognition as the hard shell stubbornly sticks to the egg white. Worse, the egg ends up covered in chewy bits of adhesive membrane in the end.
In the last two weeks of February, humanitarian agencies reported 895 cases of conflict-related rape as M23 rebels advanced through the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). According to a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees official, this was an average of more
An astronomer at Columbia University is suggesting that because life emerged so soon on Earth after its formation, it may emerge rapidly on Earth-like planets after the right conditions arise in general.
As part of ESA/Hubble's 35th anniversary celebrations, the European Space Agency (ESA) shared new images that revisited stunning, previously released Hubble targets with the addition of the latest Hubble data and new processing techniques.
A first-of-its-kind study on the link between police budgeting and the housing market seemed to be a dead end—showing practically no relation between the spending on law enforcement and home transaction volume and prices, just like previous studies.
Clocks on Earth are ticking a bit more regularly thanks to NIST-F4, a new atomic clock at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) campus in Boulder, Colorado.
A recent Afrobarometer study has shown declining trust in public institutions over the past decade among African citizens. Study findings call into question the credibility and legitimacy of state institutions like the presidency, parliament and security forces, including the
After delaying an earlier attempt due to bad weather, Amazon is preparing to launch its first batch of Project Kuiper internet satellites on Monday, stepping into direct competition with Elon Musk's Starlink.
In South Africa, the age of consent for sex is 16 years old. Engaging in sexual activity with someone under the age of 16 is considered statutory rape, even if the minor consents as defined under the law that applies to adults.
When the Vietnam War finally ended on April 30, 1975, it left behind a landscape scarred with environmental damage. Vast stretches of coastal mangroves, once housing rich stocks of fish and birds, lay in ruins. Forests that had boasted hundreds of species were reduced to
Did you eat cereal this morning? Or have you walked on a gravel path? Maybe you had a headache and had to take a pill? If you answered any of these questions with a yes, you interacted with a granular system today.
New research from The University of Texas at Arlington and the U.S. Department of Agriculture demonstrates how mathematical modeling can predict outbreaks of toxic fungi in Texas corn crops—offering a potential lifeline to farmers facing billions in harvest losses.
Held by Cultural Collections at the University of Leeds, the earliest-known English book about cheese is revealing its fascinating and sometimes nauseating contents to the public for the first time.
Flash floods resulting from extreme rainfall pose a major risk to people and infrastructure, especially in urban areas. Higher temperatures due to global climate change affect continuous rainfall and short rain showers in somewhat equal measure.
Planting wildflowers in apple orchards could save farmers up to £3,000 per hectare a year, according to a new study.
A squishy, layered material that dramatically transforms under pressure could someday help computers store more data with less energy.
In 1995, World Bank Vice President Ismail Serageldin warned that whereas the conflicts of the previous 100 years had been over oil, "the wars of the next century will be fought over water."
Scientists aboard a research vessel near Los Angeles collected ash, air and water samples as fire blazed on the hills before them in January.
A spacecraft power system that combines the technological know-how of engineers and scientists at the University of Leicester and NASA Glenn has passed its first test with flying colors.
India has taken the highly significant step of suspending the 1960 Indus waters treaty, which governs water sharing with Pakistan, as part of its response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Kashmir that killed at least 26 people.