Plant genes switched on by sound waves

Plant genes switched on by sound waves

• 30 August 2007
• Andy Coghlan
• Magazine issue 2619

CAN plants hear? They all respond to light, which affects how they optimise growth and survival. Plants also have a sense of touch , allowing them to stiffen in response to wind, and a "taste" for nutrients. But whether they respond to sound is a mystery.

Now Mi-Jeong Jeong of the National Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology in Suwon, South Korea, and colleagues claim to have identified two genes in rice that respond to sound waves. They also say that the promoter of one of the sound-sensitive genes could be attached to other genes to make them respond to sound too.

The findings follow a host of similar, but unsubstantiated, claims that plants respond to sound. If the researchers are correct, they say their discovery could enable farmers to switch specific crop genes on and off, such as ones for flowering, by blasting sound into the fields. That might be cheaper ...

The complete article is 591 words long.

http://technology.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg19526196.100&feedId=online-news_rss20

Rare river dolphin 'spotted' in China

A rare dolphin, thought to be extinct, may have been sighted swimming in the Yangtze River in China. But scientists fear that even if the sighting of the Baiji, or Yangtze river dolphin, is confirmed it may be too late to bring the species back from the dead.

http://environment.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn12563&feedId=online-news_rss20

Amber Specimen Captures Ancient Chemical Battle

"A new study by researchers at Oregon State University has identified a soldier beetle, preserved almost perfectly in amber, which was in the process of using chemical repellents to fight off an attacker when an oozing flow of sap preserved the struggle for eternity.

The discovery is the earliest fossil record of a chemical defense response, scientists say, and indicates that this type of protective mechanism -- now common in the insect world and among other animal species -- has been around for more than 100 million years. It's a sophisticated form of defense that clearly was in good working order while dinosaurs still roamed the Earth....."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070829143559.htm

Prevent global warming by preventing population growth

excerpted from scitech daily

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070727183857.htm
Low fruit and fish intake can make your teens wheezy

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2007/727/2
Before forming relationships, we normally size up other people to see how trustworthy they are, thanks to an evolutionary reorganization in the brain

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2007/07/24/scigwarming124.xml
Prevent global warming by preventing population growth