News

Understanding how the plant cell's food processors are built might help us breed better plants and even benefit human medicine.
May 29, 2018
The alga Nannochloropsis is increasingly of interest for the production of biofuels and other oil-based chemicals.
May 17, 2018
The fellowship is the oldest of its kind in the nation. Aiko will benefit from a three-year annual stipend of $34,000, a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees, and opportunities for career development.
May 15, 2018
How plants harvest their own chloroplasts - photosynthesis machines that make their food - to help defend against outside threats.
May 7, 2018
Yang Yang, a former post-doc in the lab of Christoph Benning, has started a science editor position at the Wiley Beijing office. Wiley is a global company that specializes in academic publishing.
April 30, 2018
The two scientists were recognized by the MSU Innovation Center for their work on a gene switch that allows plants to accumulate seed oil.
April 23, 2018![[LINK] He featured in Current Biology Q&A](/sites/_prl/cache/file/CF840796-7470-41B8-8A5A91FE82B39728_newslisting.jpg)
Find out what drew Sheng Yang He to plant biology, how he got into researching plant disease, and what he would have become had he not made it as a scientist.
April 16, 2018
Nick Fekaris and Tomomi Takeuchi, from the Benning lab, have won for presenting their research at the 2018 Annual Meeting - Midwestern Section of the American Society of Plant Biologists.
April 4, 2018
Hurlock, formerly in the lab of Christoph Benning, joins the Utah-based biotech company as a Clinical Affairs Scientist.
March 5, 2018
The MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory Director reflects on his experience of fruitful multi-lab projects at MSU.
February 27, 2018
The natural solar panels constantly grow and shrink in size to adjust to changes in their hosts' environments. Scientists want to tap into this energy source for biofuels and food purposes.
February 21, 2018
Scientists have linked how water-dwelling bacteria monitor light wavelengths in their surroundings with their capacity to do photosynthesis. The research has medical/biofuels implications.
February 15, 2018
The protein, which helps to construct peroxisomes, also interacts with chloroplasts and mitochondria. The organelles are important for generating and managing plant energy supplies.
February 5, 2018
The fundamental protein complex potentially guards plants from high light and ageing effects. This new observation could change how we view photosynthesis.
January 22, 2018
Atsuko Kanazawa reflects on collaborative projects in West Africa that contribute to local food security, like identifying drought-resistant beans or supporting women-run experimental farms.
January 15, 2018
Scientists are studying how plants adapt to space environments. The NASA funded research aims to help us grow fresh produce beyond the planet Earth.
December 19, 2017
The award recognizes the best doctoral dissertation in the plant sciences at MSU from the previous two years.
December 12, 2017
MSU’s second-ever iGEM team earned a Silver Medal for a new technology that can detect dangerous contaminants in the environment.
December 11, 2017
A protein that helps plants prepare for the cold also helps them beef up for bacterial attacks, as a precautionary measure.
December 7, 2017![Fighting plant disease at warm temperatures keeps food on the table [VIDEO]](/sites/_prl/cache/file/FD83450D-DBAC-47CD-ACBF8C64AF0D0027_newslisting.jpg)
The Nature Communications study shows how high temperature weakens plant defenses while, separately, strengthening bacterial attacks.
November 27, 2017