News by Subject Agriculture

Shark scientists at Georgia Aquarium, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, and Dalhousie University are challenging the status quo in shark and ray mating research in a new study that looks at biological drivers of multiple paternity in these animals.

In a new study, scientists from Naturalis Biodiversity Center, the University of Amsterdam and NIOZ show that sea butterflies already have difficulty growing their shells in present-day Southern Ocean conditions. With the continuation of ocean acidification this will become even more difficult.

New research reveals an essential step in scientists' quest to create targeted, RNA-based, more eco-friendly fungicides that protect food crops.

An exquisitely detailed global ocean model simulation from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has given scientists rare insight into where baby sea turtles may go in their "lost years" after they scramble off the sandy beaches where they are born and swim into the open ocean.

Researchers at CSHL used CRISPR, a genome-editing tool, to figure out the hidden roles of a developmental gene called WOX9. It usually induces flower branching in tomatoes and influences embryo growth in a plant related to broccoli. By tweaking the DNA in the gene's nearby promoter region, the researchers found WOX9 could induce flower branching in other species. These types of genetic manipulations provide new opportunities to improve crop traits while eliminating unwanted side effects.