Virus known for its photo ops makes its movie screen debut
...nfold in a complex motion, opening like a flower's petals and changing shape from a hexagon to a star. "We can now visualize how these proteins move together, which means a great deal for anyone trying to comprehend infection," Rossmann said. "If you saw a car speed past you for the first time ever, it mig...Scientists discover new role for tiny RNA in plant development
...s. For example, flowers tended to contain too many petals and too few sepals, the husk-like coverings that protect the flower during budding. When too much miR164 was present, organs tended to fuse. Sepals never fully separated, for example, and stamen -- one the plant's primary reproductive organs -- grew ...Major mutations, not many small changes, might lead way to new species
...lus lewisii appeals to bees with forward-thrusting petals that serve as a landing platform and yellow nectar...hat affects the concentration of yellow pigment in petals of monkeyflowers. M. lewisii, the normal favorite of bees, responded with petals of yellow-orange in...Newly identified gene may halt fuzzy, moldy fruit
...ant tissue but most often begins in dead leaves or petals that have fallen to the ground. Botrytis can live through the winter in a dormant state and then attack new growth in the spring. Because of the pathogen's ability to spread easily and kill a whole plant, researchers tested single mutant Arabidopsis ...Birds and humans have similar 'shopping' habits
...placed around the feeding wells. The colour of the petals indicated the make-up of the nectar concentration and volume of the nectar contained in the flower. Under normal circumstances, hummingbirds prefer flowers containing sweeter or larger volumes of nectar, as this provides them with more energy. Howe...Agricultural pests may threaten prairies
...sunflowers with heavy damage (more than 75% of the petals were missing or shriveled). Petal damage can make ...ors: previous research has shown that when all the petals are removed from sunflowers, bee visitation decreases by 90%. Preliminary evidence suggests that t...UCSD biologist transform leaves into petals
...omplex known to specify the development of sepals, petals and stamens. These genes are normally not expressed in leaves, so the task of producing plants capable of expressing all five genes in leaves was an arduous one for the researchers. "To do this, we did it one at a time and then started crossin...Understanding of floral scents blossoms in Purdue laboratory
...oral scents begin as oils that are produced by the petals in most plants. Because these oils evaporate easily in warm weather, scientists call them volatile compounds. The aroma of a flower may contain as few as seven to ten different oils, as in snapdragon or petunia, or as many as 100 different chemicals,...Genes for unusual flower within a flower are identified by UCSD scientists
...w plant varieties that have, for example, colorful petals replacing the normal leaves."...When is a pollinator not a pollinator? Tales from an insect crime scene...
...to chew a hole through the side of thecorolla, the petals that surround the inner parts of the flower. It then sucksthe nectar out of this hole through a long, snout-like proboscis. While this method provides ample nectar for the bee, there is none left forother winged creatures, such as the hummingbirds w...Researcher Identifies Two New Violet Species In Central America
...in height from 3 to 15 feet, this violet has white petals thatare three-quarters to an inch in length, and b...Nicaragua to eastern Panama. With purple and white petals a one-half inch inlength, this violet stands between 3 and 6 feet tall and blooms year-round. ...