The thale cress may be a humble weed, but to science, it’s an important model organism. Researchers use the plant as a proxy in experiments to represent other plants, animals and even humans—thanks to ...

In living organisms, development is a combination of multiple coordinated processes that interact in time and space over the course of growth. One false note in the delicate symphony can have ...

When you eat a salad for lunch, you’re digging into a giant pile of plant organs. That’s right—plants are made up of organs, only theirs follow a totally different set of rules from our own. In this ...

How do plants achieve their remarkably regular arrangement of leaves and flowers? And why does this pattern remain so stable, even as plants grow and respond to their environment? Researchers at ...

A common lab plant that’s been poked and put under microscopes for decades may seem unlikely to keep secrets. But in widely studied Arabidopsis thaliana, scientists have identified the “cantil” — a ...

The machinery of life is dazzlingly complex. To try to make sense of it, researchers have spent decades focusing on so-called model organisms: creatures that are easy to study in the lab and share key ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Leaves are the primary plant organs responsible for photosynthesis. Their size, shape and angles — all affected by cell patterning and growth — can also expose more of their ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. For the past few decades, Arabidopsis thaliana, commonly known as ...

With the help of the CRISPR/Cas molecular scissors, genetic information in a plant can be modified to make the latter more robust to pests, diseases, or extreme climatic conditions. Researchers have ...

Even if you don't know what 3D microfluidic networks are, that doesn't change the fact that they have some very valuable possible uses. Scientists have now devised a much easier method of making the ...