PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Fighting food insecurity by building better beans

2021-05-12
(Press-News.org) EAST LANSING, Mich. - As climate change threatens global food security, researchers at Michigan State University are building better beans crucial to human nutrition by tapping into the genetics of the more heat-resistant tepary bean.

The tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius A. Gray) is a sister of the common bean which includes kidney, pinto and navy beans. "The common bean is the number one source of protein and nutrients for many people living in Central America and Africa," said Robin Buell, a professor of plant biology in MSU's College of Natural Science and former director of the Plant Resilience Institute.

Her research on bean genetics was published May 11 in Nature Communications.

"Mother nature has already made plants that are adapted to different climates," said Buell, who is also a faculty member with MSU's AgBioResearch. We can use that knowledge to adapt our modern agriculture; we don't need to reinvent it. "As climate change heats up the air and land, making them hotter and dryer, warmer nighttime temperatures make it more difficult to grow beans. To identify the genes that support bean growth in the desert, Buell and her team sequenced the genome of the tepary bean.

"The tepary bean has evolved over time to grow in the Sonoran Desert," Buell said. "We could lay the genomes for both types of beans next to each other and compare them. If we know this gene on the tepary genome protects it from heat, then, we can add the gene to the common bean."

There are genes from the common bean that are being introduced into the tepary bean to make it easier to grow and there are genes from the tepary bean that are being introduced into the common bean to make it more heat and pest resistant.

"The goal is to grow a bean that gives a good yield, grows in dry, hot climates and is nutritious." Buell said. "We want to create an accelerated path to breed better tepary and common beans."

Michigan is the number two bean producer in the nation. For over 40 years, MSU has been a leader in bean breeding and with help from MSU's expertise in plant resilience, a research partnership was formed over the tepary bean.

INFORMATION:

(Note for media: Please include the following link to the study in all online media coverage: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-22858-x)

Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 165 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU focuses its vast resources on creating solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges, while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.

For MSU news on the Web, go to MSUToday. Follow MSU News on Twitter at twitter.com/MSUnews.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Building molecules like Tinkertoys? A breakthrough study may pave the way

Building molecules like Tinkertoys? A breakthrough study may pave the way
2021-05-12
Molecules are the building blocks for our modern world, from phones to cars to Doritos. But coming up with new ones is still an incredibly costly and time-consuming process. A group of University of Chicago chemists wants to find a better way. "If you look at a diagram of a molecule, it seems like you should be able to just snap them together like Tinkertoys, but you can't," said Asst. Prof. Mark Levin. "We'd like to change that." Their new discovery, published May 12 in Nature, represents a first step towards that transformation: a way to easily cut nitrogen atoms from molecules. Despite decades of experiments, chemistry remains an art in many ways because molecules are built in a long, iterative process: attaching ...

Scientists uncover how resistance proteins protect plants from pathogens

Scientists uncover how resistance proteins protect plants from pathogens
2021-05-12
In plants, disease resistance proteins serve as major immune receptors that sense pathogens and pests and trigger robust defense responses. Scientists previously found that one such disease resistance protein, ZAR1, is transformed into a highly ordered protein complex called a resistosome upon detection of invading pathogens, providing the first clue as to how plant disease resistance proteins work. Precisely how a resistosome activates plant defenses, however, has been unclear. A joint team led by Profs. ZHOU Jianmin, CHEN Yuhang and HE Kangmin at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof. CHAI Jijie at Tsinghua University recently employed state-of-the-art electrophysiology and single-molecule imaging to investigate the molecular ...

Brain computer interface turns mental handwriting into text on screen

2021-05-12
Scientists are exploring a number of ways for people with disabilities to communicate with their thoughts. The newest and fastest turns back to a vintage means for expressing oneself: handwriting. For the first time, researchers have deciphered the brain activity associated with trying to write letters by hand. Working with a participant with paralysis who has sensors implanted in his brain, the team used an algorithm to identify letters as he attempted to write them. Then, the system displayed the text on a screen - in real time. The innovation could, with further development, let people with paralysis rapidly ...

Brain-computer interface creates text by decoding brain signals associated with handwriting

Brain-computer interface creates text by decoding brain signals associated with handwriting
2021-05-12
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- Researchers with the BrainGate collaboration have, for the first time, used an implanted sensor to record the brain signals associated with handwriting, and used those signals to create text on a computer in real time. In a study published in the journal Nature, a clinical trial participant with cervical spinal cord injury used the system to "type" words on a computer at a rate of 90 characters per minute, more than double the previous record for typing with a brain-computer interface. This was done by the participant merely thinking about the hand motions involved in creating written letters. The research team is hopeful that such a system could one day help to restore ...

Study reveals structure of key receptors involved in memory and learning

2021-05-12
Scientists have for the first time revealed the structure surrounding important receptors in the brain's hippocampus, the seat of memory and learning. The study, carried out at Oregon Health & Science University, published today in the journal Nature. The new study focuses on the organization and function of glutamate receptors, a type of neurotransmitter receptor involved in sensing signals between nerve cells in the hippocampus region of the brain. The study reveals the molecular structure of three major complexes of glutamate receptors in the hippocampus. The findings may be immediately useful in drug development for conditions such as epilepsy, said senior author Eric Gouaux, Ph.D., senior scientist in the OHSU Vollum Institute, ...

Stanford scientists' software turns 'mental handwriting' into on-screen words, sentences

2021-05-12
Stanford scientists' software turns 'mental handwriting' into on-screen words, sentences Call it "mindwriting." The combination of mental effort and state-of-the-art technology have allowed a man with immobilized limbs to communicate by text at speeds rivaling those achieved by his able-bodied peers texting on a smartphone. Stanford University investigators have coupled artificial-intelligence software with a device, called a brain-computer interface, implanted in the brain of a man with full-body paralysis. The software was able to decode information from the BCI to quickly convert the man's thoughts about handwriting into text on a computer screen. The man was able to write ...

Drug overdose deaths before, after shelter-in-place orders during COVID-19 pandemic in San Francisco

2021-05-12
What The Study Did: Researchers describe overdose deaths in San Francisco before and after the initial COVID-19 shelter-in-place order to try to make clear whether characteristics of fatal overdoses changed during this time in an effort to guide future prevention efforts. Authors: Luke N. Rodda, Ph.D., of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the city and county of San Francisco, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study:  Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.10452) Editor's Note: The article includes conflict of interest and funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, ...

Perinatal outcomes during COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada

2021-05-12
What The Study Did: Rates of preterm birth and stillbirth in Ontario, Canada, during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic are evaluated in this study. Authors: Andrea N. Simpson, M.D., M.Sc., of St Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, in Toronto, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.10104) Editor's Note: The article includes funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support. INFORMATION: Media advisory: The full study is linked to this news release. Embed this ...

Violence-related medical treatment among US children, adolescents

2021-05-12
What The Study Did: This survey study estimated the number of children and adolescents in the United States who have received medical care as a result of assault, abuse or exposure to violence. Authors: David Finkelhor, Ph.D., of the University of New Hampshire in Durham, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.9250) Editor's Note: The article includes conflict of interest and funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and ...

Sunburn injuries in Australia, New Zealand

2021-05-12
What The Study Did: Researchers used registry data to examine the number, characteristics and outcomes of patients with sunburns severe enough to warrant admission to specialist burn services in Australia and New Zealand. Authors: Lincoln M. Tracy, Ph.D., of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2021.1110) Editor's Note: The article includes funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Be Well Texas at UT Health San Antonio to lead major statewide expansion of opioid use disorder and recovery services

Freshwater fish, too, attracted to artificial root structures

In hard-to-treat form of tuberculosis, shorter, gentler therapy shows unequal benefit

Warming oceans a turn-off for female Critically Endangered sharks

University of Surrey launches Space Institute to drive the UK's small satellite boom and tackle urgent global challenges

Look to the data, not the marketing: Turfgrass research shows no differences in ‘penetrant’ and ‘retainer’ wetting agents

New organ recovery technique could make more heart transplants available

NCSA supporting Georgia Tech in new AI venture

Revised, more accurate Baltic ringed seal count – Hunting slows population growth

Eight babies born after Mitochondrial Donation treatment to reduce transmission of mitochondrial DNA disease

Music may reduce distress for dementia patients

The American Ornithological Society announces its 2025 research grantees

Fetal exposure to vape liquids linked to changes in skull shape

Did a meteor impact trigger a landslide in the Grand Canyon?

Study suggests some maternal HIV infections may be missed during pregnancy

Bacterial genomes hold clues for creating personalized probiotics

Rice University scientists discover way to engineer stronger soft devices through smarter silicone bonding

Innovation Crossroads welcomes six entrepreneurs for Cohort 2025

Researchers explore ways to better safeguard romaine supply

Spider’s visual trickery can fool AI

During pregnancy, are newer antiseizure medications safer than older drugs?

Do race and ethnicity play a role in a person’s risk of peripheral neuropathy?

Older adults who increased their regular walking pace by just 14 steps per minute were more likely to experience clinically significant improvements in a test of aerobic capacity and walking endurance

For adults with hearing loss, linear amplification (amplification across all sound levels, available with some hearing aids) might restore their ability to recognize emotion in voices

Self-reporting climate anxiety in the United States is linked to being young, female, believing climate change will impact you personally, and more frequent media and community discussions around clim

A “silent epidemic” of stimulant use is shadowing the most recent opioid epidemic

Food insecurity causes anxiety and depression

New approach to kidney transplant matching could lead to better long-term outcomes

The patterns of elites who conceal their assets offshore

Elephant robot demonstrates bioinspired 3D printing technology

[Press-News.org] Fighting food insecurity by building better beans