| |
| News Around World |
| |
| Scientists make drought-resistant plants |
With the expansion of arid zones worldwide, scientists have been focusing on the development of transgenic plants, which are capable of surviving extreme droughts, and thrive on less water. Studies by scientists at the University of California and Riken Plant Science Center in Yokohama has culminated in the development of such a plant which would have important implications for food production, and possibly a solution to maintaining yields amid adverse conditions. |
| A major breakthrough in stem cell research may allow the elimination of ethical dilemmas related to such cutting-edge research as US scientists announced the ability to allow human skin cells to regress back into embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cell research hold the promise of curing diseases and even organ transplants formed on petri dishes. However, the treatment has been controversial due to the destruction of viable embryos during the extraction process which has been condemned by various religious and ethics authorities. |
| Recent advances in the University of Maryland has allowed the development of a hypervirulent fungus which is able to kill specific insect pest including malaria-carrying mosquitoes and a beetle that destroy coffee crops without contaminating the environment. The discovery was a through a collaboration between entomology professor Raymond St. Leger and Chinese Acade my of Science colleague Chengshu Wang. By bioengineering the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae, they were able to inject scorpion toxin into specific insects efficiently and kill them within a few days. |
| |
 |
| |