Foliar application of ZnO nanoparticles at booting outperforms ZnSO₄ in direct-seeded rice, simultaneously raising polished grain Zn, spikelets per panicle and 1000-grain weight while lowering amylose and chalkiness. Transcriptomics links these gains to upregulated α-amylase genes (OsAmy1C, OsRAmy1A) and suppressed cytokinin-degrading OsCKX2, revealing a nano-specific transcriptional rewiring that breaks the yield–quality trade-off.

In fruit flies, specific repetitive DNA sequences enable matching chromosomes to find one another during meiosis and pair up. Each pair of chromosomes carries a characteristic repeat pattern that functions like a molecular barcode. Different species contain distinct repeat barcodes, suggesting that this finding may also yield insights into how new species arise. 

“Pregnancy Interrupted: The Science and Stories of How Pregnancies Really End,” describes the intricate, trial-and-error process of egg production, fertilization, implantation and growth as a series of precisely timed structural and hormonal events that allow a placenta to form and nurture a growing embryo. While this progression is never perfect, the pregnant body and the embryo or fetus must pass certain developmental milestones before they can progress to the next stage.

A new study reveals that oncogenic signaling can reshape cancer cells not only by changing gene activity, but also by changing how cellular machinery reads the genetic code.

Traditional field research combined with new technology has revealed a secret to the survival of juvenile salmon as they form in their eggs, especially in low-water years when many do not survive, new research from NOAA Fisheries and the University of California, Davis shows.