2 April 2022 | New Scientist | 25FarmingTURNING off a particular gene
in maize and rice could enhance
yields by 10 per cent and 8 per cent
respectively. By exploring similar
genes in other cereal grains, global
crop production could be boosted.
Maize (pictured) and rice are
staple foods around the world, each
with a distinct history of cultivation
for large-scale consumption. It is
believed that maize originated in
Mexico, while rice came from China.
Despite the independent evolution
of these species, plant biologists
have noted that they possess
some very similar traits. This is
known as convergent evolution.
To delve into these resemblances,Xiaohong Yang at China
Agricultural University in Beijing
and her colleagues mapped the
genomes of maize (Zea mays L.
ssp. mays) and rice (Oryza sativa).
They found 490 pairs of genes
that seemed to serve analogous
functions in both grains. From these
pairs, the researchers identified two
genes – known as KRN2 in maize
and OsKRN2 in rice – that affected
their grain yield. By using CRISPR
gene editing to switch off these
genes, they could increase grain
yield by 10 per cent in maize and
8 per cent in rice. These figures
came from tests in farm fields
(Science, doi.org/hm6d). Chen LyGenetic tweak boosts yields
of two important food crops
SIEGF
RIED^ LAY
DA
/GETT
Y^ IMAGESHow boas constrict
yet can still breatheTaking a breath is difficult
when you are using your rib
cage to squeeze the life out
of your prey. But the boa
constrictor has come up
with a solution: it can move
the ribs lower down its long
body to still pull air into its
upper lungs while the ribs
higher up are incapacitated
(Journal of Experimental
Biology, doi.org/hm55).Sand supplies may
run low by 2060Our need for sand could
soar 45 per cent over the
next 40 years, and it isn’t
clear if supplies can meet
such demand. A lot of sand
is used to produce concrete.
However, alternatives to
concrete, such as the use of
timber frames in buildings,
could help avert a crisis
(Nature Sustainability,
doi.org/hnhf).Tropical forests help
hold down warmingForests around the
equator are more than
just a carbon store, they
also cool the air as water
evaporates from leaves
and triggers the build-up of
clouds. Overall, they reduce
global temperatures by 1°C
(Frontiers in Forests and
Global Change, DOI:
10.3389/ffgc.2022.
756115).FR
AN
S^ L
EM
ME
NS
/AL
AM
Y
Really brief
WildlifeVAMPIRE bats are missing several
genes found in other bats, which
may be related to their unique
diet – they are the only mammals
that feed exclusively on blood.
Living on blood is challenging
because it is mostly composed of
water and low in calories. To get
enough energy, common vampire
bats (Desmodus rotundus) have to
ingest as much as 1.4 times their
body weight in blood in each meal.
To find out more about how
they adapted, Moritz Blumer
at the Max Planck Institute of
Molecular Cell Biology and
Genetics in Germany and his team
sequenced the common vampire
bat genome and compared it with
those of 26 other bat species.
This showed that these vampire
bats are missing 13 genes found in
other bats. For example, three lost
genes are linked to taste receptors
that tell foods apart – redundant if
you only feast on blood. Two more
are usually involved in managing
blood sugar levels, again not that
necessary in a blood diet lacking
carbohydrates. The loss of another
gene seems to allow the bats
to increase the amount of iron
they can excrete, since their diet
puts them at risk of excess iron
in the body (Science Advances,
doi.org/hnhj). AKGenetic secrets of
the vampire batsNew Scientist Daily
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AstrophysicsA STRANGE type of wave has been
discovered that travels backwards
through the plasma that makes up
the sun. But possible mechanisms
to explain these waves don’t fit the
data, so they remain a mystery.
Chris Hanson at New York
University Abu Dhabi in the
United Arab Emirates and his
team found the phenomenon,
called high-frequency retrograde
vorticity waves, using decades
of data from ground and spacetelescopes. The waves comprise
small eddies, or vortices, travelling
around the sun in the opposite
direction to its rotation.
However, the vortices
move around the star three
times faster than other, similar
waves – more rapidly than can
be explained by any models of
plasma motion within the sun.
The researchers tested three
possible explanations: that the
waves were caused by magnetic
fields within the sun; that they
come from other ripples in the
sun called gravity waves; or that
they are due to compression ofplasma. None of these matches
the data (Nature Astronomy,
doi.org/hnhh).
“To find a set of waves that
has no current explanation is...
exciting and intriguing, because
the challenge now remains to
explain what they are,” says
Hanson. “We are missing an
ingredient in our understanding
of the sun.”
The researchers couldn’t
think of any other plausible
mechanisms, but they hope that
more detailed modelling will be
able to explain these strange
waves in the future. Leah CraneOdd waves within
sun defy explanation