/oss/taxonomy/term/987/all en /oss/article/nutrition-environment/sweet-potatoes-and-some-sweet-chemistry <p>In November 2019, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-53946-0">a study</a> published in <em>Scientific Reports </em>showed a fascinating defense mechanism possessed by a certain variety of sweet potato named TN 57, which was known to be much more resistant to pests than other strains. Researchers found that when one of the plant’s leaves is attacked by insects, or damaged in any other way, it releases a strong odour that serves to alert the rest of the affected plant’s leaves, as well as those of neighbouring plants, that danger is nearby.</p> Fri, 11 Sep 2020 16:25:30 +0000 Caitlin Bard, OSS Intern 8402 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-pseudoscience-environment/dr-stephanie-seneff-strikes-out-again-glyphosate-and-covid-19 <p>An MIT computer scientist with no expertise in agriculture, chemistry, toxicology, or the biological sciences. And yet for some reason, <a href="https://www.csail.mit.edu/person/stephanie-seneff">Stephanie Seneff</a> has decided that genetically modified foods are the tools of the devil and that glyphosate (Roundup), the herbicide used to kill weeds in fields of crops that have been genetically modified to resist it, is responsible for many of society’s ailments.</p> Fri, 01 May 2020 16:56:23 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8232 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/did-you-know-leafcutter-ants-are-farmers-who-grow-fungi <p>Leafcutter ants can strip as much as <a href="https://currielab.wisc.edu/research.php?area=Symbiosis+in+Grass-cutting+Ants">17%</a> of the leaf biomass from plants in their ecosystem and can <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leafcutter_ant">clear </a>entire trees in under a day. Next to ours, leafcutter ant society is the most complex society on earth. They build nests that can contain thousands of rooms and cover up to 0.5 km<sup>2</sup>, a feat that is necessary since a mature colony can contain more than eight million individuals.</p> Fri, 03 May 2019 16:00:00 +0000 ada McVean B.Sc. 7742 at /oss /oss/article/technology/right-chemistry-evolution-plant-hormones <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-2"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-zicpww4zeci" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on the evolution of plant hormones" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/ziCPWW4zecI?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-zicpww4zeci&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on the evolution of plant hormones" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz on the evolution of plant hormones</iframe> </div> </p> Mon, 01 Apr 2019 18:06:38 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7681 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/farm-pharmacy-wading-through-muddied-waters-antibiotic-resistance <hr /> <p><em>One of the mandates of our Office is to foster students’ skills in communicating science. We encourage students to submit articles and we publish the ones that we consider to be well written. These pieces are totally the work of students and the opinions expressed are their own.</em></p> Mon, 19 Feb 2018 20:35:57 +0000 Simona Bene Watts, ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ Writing Centre, Communicating Science 6926 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/bananas-are-berries-raspberries-are-not <p>It turns out <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berry_(botany)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">berry is actually a botanical term</a>, not a common English one. Blackberries, mulberries, and raspberries are not berries at all, but bananas, pumpkins, avocados and cucumbers are. So what makes a berry?</p> <p><img alt="a venn diagram of common berries vs botany defined berries" height="376" width="500" class="file-extra-large no-float" src="/oss/files/oss/styles/wysiwyg_extra_large/public/fruitinfographic.jpg?itok=nYBQssM_" /></p> Wed, 06 Dec 2017 20:12:56 +0000 Ada McVean & Cassandra Lee, OSS Interns 6843 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/farmer-ants-and-their-aphid-herds <p>Several species of ants have a special symbiotic relationship with aphids- <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071009212548.htm">they farm them</a>! Aphids feed primarily on the sap from plants and secrete a liquid called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeydew_(secretion)">honeydew</a>. This secretion is very sugar-rich, and quite favoured by ants as a food source.</p> Wed, 16 Aug 2017 15:35:57 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 2600 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-environment/novel-approach-weed-management <p>A novel drone system is currently being tested in Denmark. Don’t worry, it will be targeting weeds not people. The goal is to reduce herbicide use by limiting application to heavily infested areas. These drones are equipped with a special camera that detects wavelengths corresponding to the reflective signatures of specific weeds and crops. For example, thistle can be easily detected because it absorbs more yellow light than the surrounding beet plants.</p> Mon, 22 May 2017 15:55:47 +0000 OSS 2473 at /oss /oss/article/environment-news/guano-back <p>The other day, at the garden center, I noticed a box of fertilizer announcing that it contained a "natural" fertilizer… guano. In fact, before synthetic fertilizers, such as ammonium nitrate - which unfortunately just made headlines with the accident in West Texas - all fertilizers were "natural." But none of them have a history as extensive as that of guano. It is difficult to imagine that what is basically bird droppings could be the root of so many conflicts, including wars.</p> Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:10:34 +0000 Ariel Fenster PhD 1923 at /oss