Echoing a plea from Ron Milo and Robert Last that computational methods [which is sort of ‘math(s)’…] should be used to gain deeper understanding of the fundamental principles that govern regulation of metabolic pathways in plants, here’s advance notice of The Sixth Mathematics in the Plant Sciences Study Group meeting. Taking place from 25–28th March [...]
The complex dynamics of interacting biological organisms that form ecological systems make predictions of processes difficult and often imprecise. In this context, Tardif and Shipley explore the acceptability of the biomass-ratio hypothesis, operationalized as community-weighted means, and a new hypothesis (idiosyncratic annulment) for predicting the decomposition of multispecies litter mixtures. They find deviations from expectation [...]
Although some way removed from the manic antics of an ambitious medic named Dr Frankenstein (the sort of Creationist who gives ‘Intelligent Design’ a bad name…) attempting to revivify a corpse with electric shocks, Kazunori Hironaka et al. have increased the levels of purported life-supporting polyphenols in sweet potato by 60% using an electric current. Polyphenols [...]
Reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), can promote seed germination in a number of species but their role in soybean has not been fully determined. Ishibashi et al. use the anti-oxidant N-acetylcysteine to counteract the effects of ROS in germinating seeds of soybean, Glcine max, and study endogenous ethylene content, the number and [...]
Knowledge of evolution of genome size in species with holocentric chromosomes is limited. Lipnerová et al. study genome size and base composition in the holocentric genus Carex (Cyperaceae) in relation to chromosome number. They find that genomes are relatively small and very GC-poor compared with other angiosperms, with genome size positively correlated with GC content and [...]
Advances (ever an optimistic notion!) in technology take many forms and may have unanticipated consequences. Take, for example, the emerging discipline of nanotechnology, which works with structures that are intermediate between isolated atoms and bulk materials – in the range of 1–100 nm, and which often display physical attributes substantially different from those displayed by either [...]
One of the reasons carnivorous plants are so popular has to be their weirdness. They turn a lot of assumptions about plants upside down. But how does a plant become carnivorous? I can see how an animal might stumble on a new snack, but a cabbage isn’t going to feel pecking one morning and decide [...]