Rhododendron dauricum (Ericaceae), a native of northeastern Asia, produces unique secondary metabolites including daurichromenic acid (DCA). DCA has attracted considerable attention as a medicinal resource because this compound is one of the most effective natural products with anti-HIV properties in…

During meiosis, recombination between allelic sequences on pairs of homologous chromosomes forms crossovers; these crossovers help make sure that the homologs segregate accurately (reviewed in Zhang et al., 2014). However, cells must suppress recombination between non-allelic sequences, as ectopic recombination…

Ornamental grasses with a sprawling growth habit may be welcome in the garden, but grasses such as maize (Zea mays) give the highest yields when they exhibit upright leaf architecture, allowing them to be planted at high density while maximizing their exposure to sunlight. The maize leaf is composed…

A lot of effort goes into making a flower. Suites of genes must function in the right place at the right time. If not, stamens might grow where sepals should be, and so on, yielding homeotic mutant flowers. In general, flower parts are arranged in four concentric whorls of organs, including (from outside…

Isoprenoids are a huge group of compounds that include primary metabolites such as carotenoids, chlorophylls, and hormones, as well as a plethora of specialized secondary metabolites. In addition to their importance in the physiology of plants (and of other kingdoms of life), isoprenoids have drawn attention…

Jenna Gallagos is a talented writer and a scientist, and she's spending this summer as a writing fellow at the Washington Post. Here's her latest, "10 mega myths about farming to remember on your next grocery run" https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/07/24/10-mega-myths…

By 2050, the planet’s population is predicted to have reached 9.6 billion and pressure on our food sources will have intensified. Eminent plant scientist and molecular biologist Professor Sir David Baulcombe believes science and technology must provide the answers to this challenge. “I think…

This week’s edition of What We’re Reading is guest edited by Dr. Bhavisha P. Sheth, who is currently working as a DST- Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Postdoctoral Fellow at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), India. Her current research work focusses on Policy research…