Plants
Extra copies of genetic material appear to have boosted the survival of flowering plants during Earth's major environmental crises, including the event that wiped out the dinosaurs.
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Researchers have boosted strawberry fruit quality by increasing activity of a housekeeping gene called FveIPT2. The modification raised levels of anthocyanins and terpenoids for richer color, aroma, and nutrition without affecting plant growth, fruit size, or sweetness. The findings, published in Horticulture Research, challenge views on basic cellular genes.
Researchers at the University of New Mexico have found that horsetails, ancient plants over 400 million years old, create extreme oxygen isotope signatures in their water that resemble those from meteorites. This discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offers a new tool for reconstructing ancient climates. By analyzing modern and fossil samples, scientists can now decode humidity levels from the dinosaur era.
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In California's Death Valley, Tidestromia oblongifolia thrives where temperatures exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Michigan State University researchers discovered the plant adjusts its photosynthetic system to grow more quickly under such conditions. Their findings, published in Current Biology, could help develop heat-tolerant crops amid climate change.