News
November 9, 2023
Fundamental research could make growing better crops like clockwork.
November 2, 2023
New research from Michigan State University could help breed plants that are more productive as days grow shorter.
October 25, 2023
The movement of electrons across wires is what allows us to use electricity every day. Biological nanowires—microscopic wires made of proteins—have caught researchers’ attention for their ability to carry electrons over long distances. In a recent study published in the journal Small by the Josh Vermaas lab in the Michigan State University-Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory, researchers expand our understanding of biological nanowires through the use of computer simulations. Understanding how these nanowires can be constructed to allow for more electron flow is crucial to future endeavors using them to connect biological processes to conventional electronics.
October 5, 2023
Michigan State University plant biochemist Tom Sharkey and his team discovered that, on a warming planet, plants such as oaks and poplars will emit more of a compound that exacerbates poor air quality, contributing to problematic particulate matter and low-atmosphere ozone. The rub is that the same compound, called isoprene, can also improve the quality of clean air while making plants more resistant to stressors including insects and high temperatures. The findings were recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
