Plant Science

A biofuel future for poplar

03.01.2010

Poplar trees (genus Populus, not to be confused with yellow-poplar, Liriodendron tulipifera) are among the fastest-growing trees in the world, and represent a diverse wide-spread genus of trees.  Poplars are grown in plantations for pulp and paper, and have great potential as feedstock for biofuels production. Poplars have a lot of advantages as experimental plants, [...]

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Maple sap flowing in Maine

03.01.2010

The annual maple sap flow has begun early in parts of Maine. According to the Bangor Daily News, mild day and night temperatures and a lack of snow is having a strong effect on Maine’s maple syrup industry.  The average start date for sap flow in Maine is March 20, with central Maine beginning March [...]

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A botanical guide to Thanksgiving dinner

11.27.2008

Here is a list of all the plants that we ate this Thanksgiving dinner. We made our usual dinner for 10 people, family and guests. Below the plant list is a list of the dishes we made.  Corn appears in many items that may not be obvious, such as mashed potatoes. However, turkey and dairy [...]

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Give us this day our daily gene expression

09.22.2008

When I was an undergraduate, one of my favorite courses was a seminar in biological clocks and circadian rhythms taught by Hugh Wilcox at Syracuse.  Biological clocks have fascinated biologists since the 19th century, but until recently it was not possible to look at the mechanisms underlying daily variation in behavior.  With the advent of [...]

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