Flag leaves could help top off photosynthetic performance in rice
The flag leaf is the last to emerge, indicating the transition from crop growth to grain production. Photosynthesis in this leaf provides...
Articles
My work is a conduit that moves discoveries from scientists' lab benches, fields, and computers into Twitter feeds and conversations. I help scientists share their stories, and I help journalists find scientists with stories to share.
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Claire Benjamin
- Dec 22, 2020
- 2 min
Light signal emitted during photosynthesis used to quickly screen crops
An international effort called Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) aims to transform crops’ ability to turn sunlight and...
Claire Benjamin
- Nov 18, 2020
- 3 min
Cassava may benefit from atmospheric change more than other crops
Carbon dioxide fuels photosynthesis, the process by which plants generate their food in the form of carbohydrates. The atmosphere’s...
Claire Benjamin
- Oct 13, 2020
- 3 min
During COVID, scientists use computers to understand C4 photosynthesis when labs shut down
When COVID closed down their lab in March, a team from the University of Essex turned to computational approaches to understand what...
Claire Benjamin
- May 4, 2020
- 3 min
Scientists take a step closer to heat-tolerant wheat
Researchers working on molecular-level responses in crops have taken a step closer to their goal of producing heat-tolerant wheat. Smart...
Claire Benjamin
- Apr 27, 2020
- 3 min
Lisa Ainsworth of USDA-ARS elected to the National Academy of Sciences
Lisa Ainsworth, a research plant physiologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service and adjunct professor of plant biology and crop...
Claire Benjamin
- Apr 10, 2020
- 4 min
Third breakthrough demonstrates photosynthetic hacks can boost yield, conserve water
Plants are factories that manufacture yield from light and carbon dioxide—but parts of this complex process, called photosynthesis, are...
Claire Benjamin
- Mar 16, 2020
- 3 min
Technology to screen for higher-yielding crop traits is now more accessible to scientists
Like many industries, big data is driving innovations in agriculture. Scientists seek to analyze thousands of plants to pinpoint genetic...
Claire Benjamin
- Mar 9, 2020
- 4 min
Photosynthesis varies greatly across rice cultivars—natural diversity could boost yields
Rice is a direct source of calories for more people than any other and serves as the main staple for some 560 million chronically hungry...
Claire Benjamin
- Mar 8, 2020
- 1 min
Meet some of RIPE's wonder women
International Women’s Day was first established in the early 1900s as a day where all women can gather together to rally for gender...
Claire Benjamin
- Feb 24, 2020
- 3 min
Boost soybean yields by adapting photosynthesis to fleeting shadows, according to model
Soybeans may lose 13 percent of their productivity grappling with changes in light.
Claire Benjamin
- Jan 29, 2020
- 3 min
Stephen Long invested as the Stanley O. Ikenberry Chair Professor of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences
Stephen Long has been invested as the Stanley O. Ikenberry Chair Professor of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences.
Claire Benjamin
- Nov 5, 2019
- 2 min
RIPE project partners with Paper2Tree to reach local students
This fall, RIPE Postdoctoral Researcher Amanda Cavanagh taught two fifth grade classes about the project's breakthrough work to improve crop
Claire Benjamin
- Sep 26, 2019
- 4 min
Scientists find ways to improve cassava, a ‘crop of inequality’ featured at Goalkeepers
A new study identified opportunities to increase the yields of the staple root crop cassava. This work was showcased at 2019 Goalkeepers.
Claire Benjamin
- Sep 6, 2019
- 3 min
Missing link in algal photosynthesis found, offers opportunity to improve crop yields
Algae evolved a specialized mechanism to photosynthesize much more efficiently than plants. Scientists report a long-time unexplained step.
Claire Benjamin
- Jul 10, 2019
- 3 min
Improved model could help scientists better predict crop yield, climate change effects
A new computer model incorporates how microscopic pores on leaves may open in response to light.
Claire Benjamin
- Jul 8, 2019
- 2 min
Progress in developing water-efficient crops showcased at 2019 summit
Learn how WEST is developing bioenergy crops that require less water to produce bioenergy biomass at the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit.
Claire Benjamin
- Jun 9, 2019
- 3 min
Scientists transform tobacco info factory for high-value proteins
Today researchers announce a new opportunity for crops to cheaply manufacture valuable proteins for the health and industrial industries.
Claire Benjamin
- Jun 4, 2019
- 3 min
Scientists stack algorithms to improve predictions of yield-boosting crop traits
A University of Illinois team has demonstrated that a new technique can improve the predictive power of a recent study by 15 percent.
Claire Benjamin
- May 17, 2019
- 3 min
New technology allows scientists to measure photosynthesis much more quickly
A team is using advanced tools to develop crops that give farmers more options for sustainably producing more food on less land.