science top stories popular news  

Daily non-political popular news in brief.

Scientists find missing link to understand how plants make vitamin C

04-27-2007 · EurekAlert!

Vitamin C is possibly the most important small molecule whose biosynthetic pathway remained a mystery. That is until now. A group of Dartmouth and UCLA researchers, who normally work on genes involved in aging and cancer in animals, discovered the last piece of the puzzle, they report in a study published online April 26 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Read more »

Keywords: scientists, missing, link, understand, plants, make, vitamin, scientist, plant

« Previous | Next »

Similar news on "Scientists find missing link to understand how plants make vitamin C":

  1. WUSTL researchers spearhead key genome initiative
    12-13-2007 · EurekAlert!
    The complete genome of a moss has been sequenced, providing scientists an important evolutionary link between single-celled algae and flowering plants, suggests a study published in the journal Science. A major landmark in understanding how plants originated, the moss genome sequencing offers insight into the conquest of land by plants and sheds light on the evolution of the plant kingdom, says study co-author Ralph S. Quatrano, a biology professor at Washington University in St. Louis.
    Similar news · Read more »
  2. Plants that produce more vitamin C may result from UCLA-Dartmouth discovery
    05-23-2007 · EurekAlert!
    UCLA and Dartmouth scientists have identified a crucial enzyme in plant vitamin C synthesis, which could lead to enhanced crops.
    Similar news · Read more »
  3. Elevated CO2 in atmosphere weakens defenses of soybeans to herbivores
    07-06-2007 · EurekAlert!
    In research to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Plant Biologists in Chicago (July 7-11, 2007), scientists will show that elevated CO2 may negatively impact the relationship between some plants and insects. Elevated CO2 is considered to be a serious catalyst of global change. Its effects can be felt throughout the ecosystem, including the insect-plant food chain link. Safeguarding highly-usable crops is of great importance to many local and national economies.
    Similar news · Read more »
  4. MU researchers make discovery in molecular mechanics of phototropism
    07-05-2007 · EurekAlert!
    In a paper published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, scientists at the University of Missouri-Columbia reported molecular-level discoveries about the mechanisms of phototropism, the directional growth of plants toward or away from light.
    Similar news · Read more »
  5. Folate mystery finally solved
    08-22-2007 · EurekAlert!
    Johns Hopkins researchers have stumbled on the identity of an enzyme that had been a mystery for more than 30 years. They discovered the missing part of the pathway in how bacteria make the B vitamin folate.
    Similar news · Read more »
  6. Dual-Function Enzyme Aids Plants' Defense Against Fungi
    12-15-2006 · Brookhaven National Laboratory
    Scientists studying a plant enzyme involved in producing chemicals for defense against fungal infections have found that this enzyme can perform two distinct functions depending on the raw materials present. The results include atomic-level protein structures that illustrate how distinct molecules take on similar shapes when bound with the enzyme, which makes the dual action possible.
    Similar news · Read more »
  7. A study proposes a new universal rule to explain the equilibrium of plant populations
    09-18-2007 · EurekAlert!
    A study financed by the BBVA Foundation and conducted by scientists Carlos Duarte, Nuria Agustм and Nuria Marbа from the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (CSIC - University of the Balearic Islands) has allowed the first-time formulation of a universal rule that explains the equilibrium of plant communities, showing how plants assure the survival of their species whether their lives last a day or are prolonged over centuries.
    Similar news · Read more »
  8. Unraveling the physics of DNA's double helix
    07-12-2007 · EurekAlert!
    Researchers at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering have uncovered a missing link in scientists' understanding of the physical forces that give DNA its famous double helix shape.
    Similar news · Read more »
  9. Brain imaging and genetic studies link thinking patterns to addiction
    12-25-2007 · EurekAlert!
    Scientists have for the first time identified brain sites that fire up more when people make impulsive decisions. In a study comparing brain activity of sober alcoholics and nonaddicted people making financial decisions, the group of sober alcoholics showed significantly more "impulsive" neural activity.
    Similar news · Read more »
  10. Satellites shed light on global warming
    04-27-2007 · European Space Agency (ESA)
    As climate change continues to make headlines across the world, participants at the 2007 Envisat Symposium this week are hearing how Earth observation satellites allow scientists to better understand the parameters involved in global warming and how this is impacting the planet.
    Similar news · Read more »