Collaborate Disseminate
Shipping fertilizer to colonies on Mars could be quite a hassle – it would certainly be better if the colonists were able to grow crops using whatever’s on hand. The continuation of an existing study now indicates that urine might in fact serve as a pe… Continue reading Human urine may be Number 1 for fertilizing plants on Mars
Greenhouses and solar panels both need to be placed in areas with a lot of sunlight – so why not combine the two? Semi-transparent solar cells could potentially be built into the glass roof panels of greenhouses, capturing light at wavelengths that pla… Continue reading Semi-transparent solar cells could make greenhouses self-sufficient
There are usually two ways to go about any task: the easy way and the hard way. Sometimes we might not know there are two options, but once we see someone else’s solution we might feel differently. When running a greenhouse or small farm, for example, we might decide to …read more
Feverfew is a common flower easily recognizable either from a home garden or the shelf of the local health store. For hundreds of years it’s been used as a traditional medicine for migraines and other pains, though its actual usefulness in th… Continue reading Scientists pluck an anti-cancer compound from a common flower
As crop plants “breathe” through the pores in their leaves, they release an assortment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air. A new smartphone-connected device analyzes those chemicals within a matter of minutes, detecting and ide… Continue reading Smartphone device identifies plant diseases on the spot
Living in the soil, roundworms can infect plants via their roots, which is why many plants have evolved to produce an immune response when the worms are detected. Now, scientists have harnessed that response to create an eco-friendly form of … Continue reading Wormy chemicals used to trick crops into protecting themselves
Although many smokers apparently don’t realize it (or just don’t care), cigarette butts are very much a form of litter – in fact, they’re the world’s most common type of litter. And they’re not just an eyesore, as new research now indicates t… Continue reading Study shows that dropped cigarette butts harm plants
House plants can be a great way to add splashes of color to an otherwise drab interior, but they can also help to purify the air and may even fill a room with pleasant odors. But looking after them can be a guessing game. Lua is designed to h… Continue reading Animated expressions help plant lovers keep potted greenery healthy
There are quite a few ways we could benefit from tweaking the genetic makeup of plants. Scientists making breakthroughs in this area hail exciting new possibilities around improved crop security, new kinds of naturally sourced medicines, and … Continue reading Deep roots, edited genes and a plan to fight climate change with supercharged plants
A Stanford University team led by associate professor of chemical engineering Elizabeth Sattely is developing genetically engineered plants that can better absorb iron from the soil. By making it easier to ingest the trace mineral, it may be … Continue reading Engineering plants for better root microbiomes would unlock land for staple crops