News

In plants, elevated defense tends to inhibit plant growth. New research suggests plants have a metabolism-sensing mechanism that may mediate between growth and defense functions.
April 7, 2020
Federica Brandizzi, MSU Foundation Professor of plant biology, is the recipient of the MSU Innovation Center’s 2020 Innovator of the Year Award in recognition of her research on increasing plant size to maximize the space needed for more crops.
April 6, 2020
New research is refining our understanding of how light wavelengths impact how plants develop their chloroplasts.
March 5, 2020![[LINK] Beronda Montgomery recognized as one of the 100 most inspiring black scientists in America](/sites/_prl/cache/file/24103A05-7048-4C78-ADFE6A951AE35E16_newslisting.jpg)
Beronda Montgomery, MSU Foundation Professor, was listed as one of the 100 inspiring black scientists in America by CrossTalk, the official blog of Cell Press, a leading publisher of cutting-edge biomedical and physical science research and reviews.
February 19, 2020
The protein, peroxiredoxin Q, is known to maintain a healthy balance of chemicals and energy levels in chloroplasts. The new research shows the protein also impacts the system that produces chloroplast membranes.
February 18, 2020
Anne will primarily write In Brief articles that highlight recently published papers in the journal. The In Briefs are targeted at scientists who browse the journal and want to read a summarized version of a study.
February 17, 2020
The CAMTA system - which is known to protect plants from cold weather - plays a newly discovered role: when bacteria invade a leaf, CAMTA warns neighboring, unaffected leaves to prepare for invasion.
February 11, 2020
When algae get stressed, they hibernate and store energy in forms that we can use to make biofuels. Understanding how stress impacts algal hibernation could help scientists lower the cost of biofuels production.
February 3, 2020![Insect bites + Warmer climate = Double trouble for plants [VIDEO]](/sites/_prl/cache/file/29EBA14D-809E-4D2C-9E16BEE8B730167F_newslisting.jpg)
Recent models are telling us that, as our climate warms up, pests will cause more damage to crops. But these models do not factor how infested plants react to rising temperatures. If we do, plants may suffer a worse fate.
January 20, 2020![Taming electrons with bacteria parts and a little 'blood' - a new synthetic biology system [VIDEO]](/sites/_prl/cache/file/CB230C2C-F23F-40F2-8BC22F2085C404EB_newslisting.jpg)
When electrons move, they are the electricity that powers life. But they are hard to pin down. The newly engineered system could guide electron transfer over long distances, powering future applications in medicine or 'green' fuel production.
January 15, 2020![[LINK] Sheng Yang He featured in National Geographic](/sites/_prl/cache/file/80D894A7-55C0-4C41-BE8155167EC43032_newslisting.jpg)
The article revolves around an exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History on our food supply’s vulnerability to plant disease, using an unconventional conduit: early 20th-century glass models of rotting fruit.
January 10, 2020
Berkley Walker's DNA synthesis proposal has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, to study how high temperatures impact plant enzymes that support photosynthesis.
January 8, 2020
For decades, scientists have unsuccessfully tried to dial up amino acid production in crops. One roadblock might be the target of rapamycin (TOR) protein, which detects nutrient availability in plant cells in order to control cell growth and metabolism.
December 18, 2019
Chase Lindeboom and Hainite Tuitupou will earn stipends in support of their education and will officially receive their awards at banquet which will take place in April 2020.
December 11, 2019![Chasing order beyond the realm of the visible: a new tool tidies up molecules at the nano level [VIDEO]](/sites/_prl/cache/file/1681390F-9F55-4770-954B6FCC6DB01250_newslisting.jpg)
A protein from cyanobacteria has been redesigned into a homing beacon to attract molecular payloads. The long-term goal: to organize resources inside living cells for medical or industrial applications.
December 9, 2019
The honor, bestowed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, recognizes members for extraordinary achievements in advancing science.
November 26, 2019
The Highly Cited Researchers list, compiled by Clarivate Analytics, includes scientists who have been most cited by peers over the past decade. In 2019, fewer than 0.1% of the world's researchers have earned this exclusive distinction.
November 21, 2019
Cheryl Kerfeld will lead a team of five research groups in a $3.4 million NSF Understanding the Rules of Life grant to engineer a synthetic cell. The aim is to tackle two key science and engineering research areas: building a synthetic cell and epigenetics.
November 7, 2019
The award recognizes the best doctoral dissertation in the plant sciences at Michigan State University over the last two years.
October 24, 2019
The new gene family helps control carbon dioxide fixation, which is the first step towards making high-energy molecules that feed the planet's organisms.
September 30, 2019