Research

Scientists developed a machine-learning tool that can teach itself, with minimal external guidance, to differentiate between aerial images of flowering and nonflowering grasses — an advance that will greatly increase the pace of agricultural field research, they say. The work was conducted using images of thousands of varieties of Miscanthus grasses, each of which has its own flowering traits and timing.

Farmers apply nitrogen fertilizers to crops to boost yields, feeding more people and livestock. But when there’s more fertilizer than the crop can take up, some of the excess can be converted into gaseous forms, including nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that traps nearly 300 times as much heat in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. About 70% of human-caused nitrous oxide comes from agricultural soils, so it’s vital to find ways to curb those emissions.

When West Virginia recently banned seven artificial food dyes in products to be sold within their borders, they joined an increasing number of individual U.S. states issuing their own regulations about food manufacturing practices, allowable ingredients, or product labeling. Consequently, food manufacturers must decide how to deal with different requirements in multiple markets.

As the global population grows, the demand for food and energy is increasing even as extreme weather events make crops more vulnerable to stress. While traditional breeding takes years to develop more resilient crops, plant bioengineering offers a faster, more precise way to improve traits for higher yields and better stress tolerance.

But engineering plants to enhance their helpful traits is a complex process demanding significant time and labor.

Scientists have spent decades genetically modifying the bacterium Escherichia coli and other microbes to convert carbon dioxide into useful biological products. Most methods require additional carbon sources, however, adding to the cost. A new study overcomes this limitation by combining the photosynthetic finesse of a single-celled algae with the production capabilities of the bacteria E. coli.

The researchers report their results in the journal Metabolic Engineering.

AI is changing the way we work, create, and share information — but brownies? A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explores how ChatGPT can be used in the sensory evaluation of foods, specifically brownies. The study offers insights that could streamline development of new products, and possibly enhance recipes moving forward. 

The success of in vitro fertilization depends on many factors, one of which is sperm viability. A recent study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign documents a new way to select viable sperm and prolong their viability in the laboratory, reducing one source of variability during the process. 

Adolescence is a critical time for developing social skills and youth often navigate difficult peer experiences. Parents can help their children by giving advice on how to deal with challenges, but it matters whether youth want support or not. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looks at the impact of parental advice and youth support seeking in African American families.

Up to 25% of new mothers suffer from postpartum depression, which can significantly impact their parenting behavior and the wellbeing of their children. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looks at long-term effects of early maternal depression on children, underscoring the need to provide adequate support for mothers who might be struggling.

A nine-year study comparing a typical two-year corn and soybean rotation with a more intensive three-year rotation involving corn, cereal rye, soybean and winter wheat found that the three-year system can dramatically reduce nitrogen — an important crop nutrient — in farm runoff without compromising yield.

The new findings are detailed in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science.