Wounded by insects, plants release two rounds of volatile molecules. The first one serves to seal the wounds and alarm the more distant part of the plant as well as any neighbouring plants who pick up the signal. The second round is to attract the natural enemies of the damage causing insect. Now a new study by Swiss scientists shows that surprisingly those bystander plants release those natural enemies attracting scents earlier than the wounded ones.
Category Archives: Paper highlight
Like liquid behaving proteins
Phase separation is a fascinating trait that some proteins have. It allows them to under specific circumstances to behave like a liquid and create a little compartment for themselves inside the noisy environment of the cell. Now a new study from American researchers found that one such protein, TIME FOR COFFEE, does so when triggered by salt and in this way regulate salt stress response genes.
Fog collecting spines
One of the characteristics features of cacti are their spines. These are modified dead leaves. The prickly hard ones are generally seen as a mechanical defence against herbivores. But some cacti have more porous flexible spines. A group of international researchers wondered if they could be involved in collecting fog water.
A wild inheritance
Most crops have lost the ability to cultivate their microbial helpers. Now a new study asked if for rice is possible to regain this ability from their wild relatives.
