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IMAGE: Levels of damage to A. thaliana leaves after exposure to S. litura larvae raised under conditions that did or did not sterilize their oral secretions. The asterisk indicates a statistically. view more
Credit: Professor Gen-ichiro Arimura, Tokyo University of Science
Although insect larvae may seem harmless to humans, they can be extremely dangerous to the plant species that many of them feed on, and some of those plant species are important as agricultural crops. Although plants cannot simply flee from danger like animals typically would, many have nonetheless evolved ingenious strategies to defend themselves from herbivores. Herbivorous insect larvae will commonly use their mouths to smear various digestive proteins onto plants that they want to eat, and when plants detect chemicals commonly found in these oral secretions, they can respond to the injury by producing defensive molecules, including proteins and specialized metabolites, of their own that i
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IMAGE: Researchers from Tokyo University of Science adopt a design approach for carbon fibers that optimizes fiber orientation and thickness to enhance the strength of fiber reinforced plastic, producing lighter plastic. view more
Credit: Robert Bye on Unsplash
Carbon is vital to the existence of all living organisms, since it forms the basis of all organic molecules that, in turn, form the basis of all living beings. While that alone is pretty impressive, it has recently found surprisingly novel applications in disciplines such as aerospace and civil engineering with the development of carbon fibers that are stronger, stiffer, and lighter than steel. Consequently, carbon fibers have taken over steel in high-performance products like aircrafts, racecars, and sports equipment.
May 23, 2021
In a bid to find a new way to treat COVID-19 patients, the leading national center for medicine is turning to a funnyman to bring in donations.
But as Japanese doctors gear up for clinical trials that they hope will give hospitals a new type of treatment for the new coronavirus, some institutes overseas have already moved on to new remedies.
Comedian Yoshiaki Yoza features prominently on the website of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM), where he asks COVID-19 survivors, like himself, to donate their blood plasma for a trial that doctors hope will prove to be a life-saver.
Genetic mutation associated with autism can impair oxytocin-mediated social behavior news-medical.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from news-medical.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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VIDEO: Microbe-Based Replacements for Chemical Pesticide Replacement.
A team of scientists from Tokyo University of Science has developed a screening method based on cultured plant cells that makes such testing easier. This. view more
Credit: Tokyo University of Science
Plants have evolved unique immunity mechanisms that they can activate upon detecting the presence of a pathogen. Interestingly, the presence of some nonpathogenic microorganisms can also prompt a plant to activate its systemic immunity mechanisms, and some studies have shown that pretreating agricultural crops with such immunity-activating nonpathogenic microorganisms can leave the crops better prepared to fight off infections from pathogenic microorganisms. In effect, this means that immunity-activating nonpathogenic microorganisms can function like vaccines for plants, providing a low-risk stimulus for the plant s immune system that prepares it for dealing with genuine threats. These a