As erratic weather upends the seasonal rhythms that crops depend on, farmers in the island nation of Madagascar are feeling the effects but struggle to adapt to the new normal.

New research from an international team of plant biologists, led by researchers at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, has revealed crucial insights into the role brassinosteroids—essential plant hormones—play in regulating cell division and g

Without plants on land, humans could not live on Earth. From mosses to ferns to grasses to trees, plants are our food, fodder and timber. All this diversity emerged from an algal ancestor that conquered land long ago. The success of land plants is surpris

A team of anthropologists and evolutionary biologists affiliated with several academic institutions in the U.S., working with a colleague from the Smithsonian Institution, has found evidence of humans domesticating avocados as far back as 7,500 years ago

Computational microscopy is vital in biomedicine and materials science. Traditional methods struggle with optical aberrations, noise interference, and differences between physical models and real-world imaging, reducing the resolution and accuracy. They r

Shanghai Jiao Tong University along with multiple collaborating institutions including the University of Copenhagen and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, have conducted an extensive investigation into microbial ecosystems in the deep ocean hadal zone

Greenland sharks are thought to have lifespans that can reach 400 years. University of Tokyo-led researchers have now sequenced the first chromosome-level genome of the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus), revealing genetic adaptations linked to its

Bacteriophages, the most abundant life form on Earth, infect bacterial cells and influence the structure of the microbial community. To fend off phage attacks, bacteria have evolved their own defense tools, including the most common restriction-modificati

America's butterflies are disappearing because of insecticides, climate change and habitat loss, with the number of the winged beauties down 22% since 2000, a new study finds.

The megalodon has long been imagined as an enormous great white shark, but new research suggests that perception is all wrong. The study finds the prehistoric hunter had a much longer body—closer in shape to a lemon shark or even a large whale.

A new study provides many new insights into the biology of the prehistoric gigantic shark megalodon (megatooth shark), which lived nearly worldwide 15–3.6 million years ago. Paleobiology professor Kenshu Shimada of DePaul University led the study along wi

A University of Oxford study has determined that the widely used tools available to businesses for assessing their biodiversity impacts depend on broad assumptions and can have large uncertainties that are poorly understood or communicated. If used approp