14-03-06 Teaching crop plants to concentrate carbon dioxide in their leaves could increase photosynthetic（光合作用的） efficiency by 60 percent and yields by as much as 40 percent, researchers report in a new study. The team used a computer model to simulat...

14-02-26 A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has shown for the first time that several types of aquatic algae（海藻） can detect orange, green and blue light. Land plants have receptors to detect light on the red and far...

14-02-26 A multi-institutional team reports that it can increase sugarcane's geographic range, boost its photosynthetic rate by 30 percent and turn it into an oil-producing crop for biodiesel（生物柴油） production. These are only the first steps in a bigger...

14-02-15 Cells communicate through proteins embedded in their cell membranes. These proteins have diverse functions and can be compared with antennas, switches and gates. For the well-being of the cell, it has to adjust the composition of its membrane protei...

14-02-15 The first thorough comparison of evidence for natural gas system leaks confirms that organizations including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have underestimated U.S. methane emissions generally, as well as those from the natural gas indust...

14-02-13 The rapid conversion of natural lands to cement-dominated urban centers is causing great losses in biodiversity. Yet, according to a new study involving 147 cities worldwide, surprisingly high numbers of plant and animal species persist and even flo...

14-02-11 Scientists at the University of York today report the development of hemp（大麻） plants with a dramatically increased content of oleic acid（油酸） . The new oil profile results in an attractive cooking oil that is similar to olive oil in terms of...

14-01-14 When it comes to biofuels, corn leads the all-important category of biomass yield. However, focusing solely on yield comes at a high price. In the current issue of the Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences, Michigan State University resea...

13-12-30 The newly sequenced genome of the Amborella plant addresses Darwin's abominable（讨厌的） mystery -- the question of why flowers suddenly proliferated on Earth millions of years ago. The genome sequence sheds new light on a major event in the histor...

13-12-26 Climate Reply Trey Moody Weather as if to repeat. Weather to read a name. As if to ask a question, weather to strip the mane, to feed the cats, to sleep. Go inside, weather to weep, split the maw（胃，咽喉） . Plant the plants, weather to eat the de...