Scientists have managed to make plants grow without sunlight. The process uses an artificial method of photosynthesis to let the plants grow in complete darkness. Once improved, it could allow countries without much sunlight to grow more crops. It could even allow us to grow plants in space.
We don’t really think of plants as life forms that require sleep, and while it’s true that plants don’t “sleep” in the way that animals do, they operate on a circadian rhythm all the same. Researchers have long been fascinated with the mechanisms and schedules that govern the life of a plant, and new research …
You don’t become an astronaut in the hopes of getting to eat some really good food in space. The International Space Station, for example, isn’t stocked with high-end cuisine. In fact, most of the stuff that the astronauts eat comes in tiny packages that are warmed by a machine built right into the wall. It’s …
Over the course of the pandemic, the novel coronavirus has morphed into new variants that have featured genetic changes capable of altering its behavior. Whether it’s a single-cell organism or a multi-cell being, any living creature can go through mutations that will allow it to adapt better to its surroundings. But researchers have just observed …
Poison ivy is growing faster and is more potent than ever thanks to heightened CO2 concentrations in the air. The plants are growing, on average, nearly 150% faster than in decades prior, according to researchers. Skin contact with poison ivy leads to painful rashes and even blisters. Didn’t think 2020 could get any worse? Think …
Citizens across the United States have reported receiving random unsolicited seed shipments from China. The seeds appear to be part of an online scam where sellers ship items that nobody asked for in the first place. Officials are warning people to not plant the seeds and instead forward them to local agriculture or environmental officials …
The crew of the International Space Station recently took delivery of a case of wine. A full dozen bottles of delicious red wine traveled from Earth, through the atmosphere, and ended up at the orbiting laboratory where six scientists have to let it sit for a year before sending it back. They can’t drink it, …
China may have had to sit and watch as countries like the United States dominated space for decades, but things are a whole lot different now. China’s space agency has been rapidly catching up to the likes of the US and Russia, and in many ways, it’s even surpassed its peers and broken new ground …
It didn’t last long, but thanks to China’s Chang’e 4 lander there was a very brief period about a week ago when mankind knew that life existed somewhere other than Earth. China’s mission to the Moon brought with it a tiny enclosed ecosystem that included tiny seeds in soil, and the country’s space agency eagerly …
Plants are very good at producing oxygen that we all need in order to breath, but what about clearing the air of harmful chemicals? Past research has revealed that plants do a bit of housekeeping when it comes to cleaning the air of certain compounds but researchers wondered if they could help boost that function …
