The top leaves of crops absorb far more light than they can use, starving lower leaves of light. Scientists designed plants with light green leaves with hopes of allowing more light to penetrate the crop canopy and increase overall light use efficiency and yield. This strategy was tested in a recent modeling study that found leaves with reduced chlorophyll content do not actually improve canopy-level photosynthesis, but instead, conserve a significant amount of nitrogen that the plant might be able to reinvest to improve light use efficiency and increase yield.
articles
NASA Spots Tropical Depression Kirogi Dissipating
Tropical Depression Kirogi made landfall in southeastern Vietnam on Nov. 19 and NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the storm as it was dissipating over land.
Two-thirds of children with concussions not receiving medical followups
In a study that looked at data over a 10-year period, York University researchers, in collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), found that more than two-thirds of youth and children with an acute concussion do not seek medical followup or clearance as recommended by current international concussion guidelines.
Maps reveal landscape beneath Antarctica's weak underbelly
A UK team of researchers has produced high-resolution maps of the bed beneath a major glacier in West Antarctica, which will help them predict future sea-level rise from this region. Radar surveys of the land beneath Pine Island Glacier have revealed a diverse landscape under the ice with some surprises. The results are published today (20 November 2017) in the journal Nature Communications.
How the Alaska Pipeline Is Fueling the Push to Drill in the Arctic Refuge
The war over the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) — one of the most contentious and enduring environmental fights in U.S. history — is once again heating up.
Study looks at why ring-tailed lemurs raise a stink when they flirt with potential mates
A University of Toronto study finds that a unique ritual performed by male ring-tailed lemurs may come at a significant physical cost, but it likely helps their chances in securing a mate.
Ring-tailed lemurs are Strepsirrhines, a sub-order of primates who share a common ancestor with humans. They are very social animals, living in large groups with females dominating the group. Like other lemurs, they huddle in large groups in order to keep warm and maintain social bonds, with lower ranking males often excluded.