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| News Around World |
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| According to an estimate by scientists, there are approximately tens of thousands of rice varieties in Thailand, many of which would disappear along with their potential uses without any intervention. This is where the National Rice Seeds Storage Laboratory for Genetic Resources come in. Established with Japanese aid in 1982, the storage aims at conserving these species against extinction and probably delve into the hidden secrets of each variety in hopes of finding positive modern applications.
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| Biologists at Carnegie Institution’s Department of Plant Biology have discovered a new way plants regulate nutrition, through pore-like structures on the cell surface to control the uptake of nitrogen. Each pore was able to transport nutrients individually, but without interaction with neighbouring molecules, uptake did not occur. Plants import nitrogen in the form of ammonium from the soil.
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Quenching the thirst for fuel may not be easy nor environmentally-friendly, but if Chinese plans are to come through, this may change. 13 million hectares of land, an area the size of England, is being set aside for the planting of Jathropa, also known as physic nut, to be extracted for biofuel. The 13 million hectare forest is expected to produce six million tones every year by 2010.
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| Created: Chickens that lay eggs to fight cancer |
Scientists in London have managed to create a designer breed of chicken which are genetically modified to lay eggs capable of producing cancer-fighting drugs and for other diseases. The flock, is hailed as a breakthrough in drug production which currently costs the National Health Service thousands of pounds per year per patient. The eggs may potentially produce drugs for prices at a fraction of the current costs. |
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