Scientists invent transparent soil to reveal the secret life of plants Lettuce grown in transparent soil developed by researchers at the James Hutton Institute and the University of Abertay Dundee in Scotland Most people’s image of plants is actually upside down. For most of our photosynthetic friends, the majority of the plant is underground in the form of an intricate system of roots. The bit that sticks up is almost an afterthought. That’s a problem for scientists trying to study plants because growing them in media that allow you to see the roots, such as hydroponics, doesn't mimic real soil very well. Developed by a team led by Lionel Dupuy, a theoretical biologist in the Ecological Sciences group at the James Hutton Institute, the transparent soil is the result of two years of research. It’s made from granules of Nafion, which is a lot easier than calling it a sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene based fluoropolymer-copolymer. The team's research is published in the journal PLOS One. Source: James Hutton Institute About the Author
AOji ¬the Art Of Japanese Illustration Facebook Latest artworks Twitter Artworks of the Week Each week, a fine new illustration presented on our website! "Aoji – the Art Of Japanese Illustration, est la première galerie d'art entièrement dédiée à l’illustration artistique de style et d’influence Japonaise." © Nipcom SARL - 9, Rue Du Président Paul Doumer - 92190 Meudon Tel: +33(0)9 53 50 22 50 Mail: contact(a)aoji.frAccès rapide: CGV - Mentions légalesTous droits réservés. <a href=" title="Contact us" target="_blank">Questions? Photography Tips, Tutorials, Resources And Inspiration Amazing City Views from the Top Amazing City Views from the Top by paul0v2 Thu, 02/11/2010 - 13:09 There are two things I really enjoy, big cities and good photography. When these two combine it's just magic, I enjoy looking a concrete jungles from the top view and see how big and full of buildings they are, the show of lights that it makes at night it's just amazing. Here is a great selection of top view photography from cities all over the globe. Tokyo Nightscape | by Altos Photowalking | by Thomas Hawk City of Lights | by Paul Lower Manhattan, New York | by Frankhg Tokyo in Blue | by Magnumpi Manhattan View | by Digital Agent Still Growing | by Emarati Style Chicago Skyline | by Spudart Bologna | by Luca Zappacosta Above the Stars | by Andras Jancsik Is It the end of days? Navy Helicopter flying over Bangkok | by Ben North of São Paulo | by Blast Furnace 2 View of London | by superhoopsa Ocean of Lights | by Hughes500 View from the Top | by Joep R. NYC Cityscape | by Jorg Dickman Above Zurich | by thnkfst More articles about: Tags:
Biologists learn how plants synthesize their growth hormone auxin Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have succeeded in unraveling, for the first time, the complete chain of biochemical reactions that controls the synthesis of auxin, the hormone that regulates nearly all aspects of plant growth and development. Their discovery, detailed in a paper in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, will allow agricultural scientists to develop new ways to enhance or manipulate auxin production to improve the growth and yield of crops and other plants. More than a century ago, Charles Darwin noticed that plants produced a substance that made them bend toward light, a hormone called auxin that biologists have since found to be essential not only in regulating plant growth but also in patterning their development. In 2006, a team of San Diego researchers headed by Yunde Zhao, an associate professor of biology at UC San Diego, discovered a family of 11 genes involved in the synthesis of auxin.
茨城県博物館協会 ALTFoto Flowers in Ultra-Violet The compilation of species will continue to be updated at irregular intervals. All species listed here have been documented, and links are added whenever I can find spare time for updating. These images are made for illustrative purposes, not as artistic statements per se. However, there are lots of food for thought in the convoluted ways Nature expresses itself, so for once the artist can step backand let the subjects speak for themselves. If you are unfamiliar with the botany, just select any species indicated as having a "strong" response to learn how this looks. However, not all species have the typical bull's-eye UV pattern, which may be confined to symmetrical flowers. The UV range of the spectrum has no predefined colours, so we are free to assign any colour we like. UV fluorescence may be a common trait to most flowers, but might be of temporary occurrence for parts of the flower. In case you are curious as to why the species might have these patterns, read this to learn more.
loftwork.com — »