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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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Modified soybeans yield more in future climate conditions
Researchers have discovered modified soybeans that yield more than current varieties in 2050 field conditions. By 2050, we will need to...
Claire Benjamin
May 3, 20172 min read
Scientists engineer sugarcane to produce biodiesel, more sugar for ethanol
A multi-institutional team led by the University of Illinois have proven sugarcane can be genetically engineered to produce oil in its...
Claire Benjamin
Apr 4, 20173 min read
Newly characterized protein has potential to save U.S. farmers millions annually
Instead of turning carbon into food, many plants accidentally make a plant-toxic compound during photosynthesis that is recycled through...
Claire Benjamin
Mar 30, 20172 min read
Crop achilles' heel costs farmers 10 percent of potential yield
Newly published findings could help scientists further boost the yields of C4 crops like corn and Miscanthus.
Claire Benjamin
Jan 24, 20173 min read
Dual-purpose biofuel crops could extend production, increase profits
Today many biofuel refineries operate for only seven months each year, turning freshly harvested crops into ethanol and biodiesel. When...
Claire Benjamin
Jan 11, 20173 min read
Soybean plants with fewer leaves yield more
Using computer model simulations, scientists have predicted that modern soybean crops produce more leaves than they need to the detriment...
Claire Benjamin
Nov 19, 20163 min read
Researchers root for more cassava research
Cassava makes up nearly 50 percent of the diet in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, where populations are projected to increase by more than...
Claire Benjamin
Oct 18, 20163 min read
In at the kill
In the last decade, more than half of all forest elephants have been slaughtered for their market-precious ivory. Without action, this...
Claire Benjamin
Sep 27, 20162 min read
Rapid gene analysis method accelerates photosynthesis studies
Throughout the growing season seemingly benign clouds pass over millions of acres of crops, causing rapid fluctuations in light intensity...
Claire Benjamin
Sep 14, 20163 min read
Desert elephants pass on knowledge—not mutations—to survive
Namibian elephants should be protected so they can continue to pass on their unique knowledge and survival skills to future generations.
Claire Benjamin
Aug 3, 20163 min read
Endangered venomous mammal predates dinosaurs' extinction, study confirms
Researchers sequenced the mitochondrial genome for the solenodon, filling in the last major branch of placental mammals on the tree of life.
Claire Benjamin
May 22, 20162 min read
Grant helps project realize “ultra-productive” biofuel crops, attract investors
Imagine—instead of acres of oil wells on barren land—endless fields of towering green sugarcane, with each stalk producing renewable and sus
Claire Benjamin
May 20, 20162 min read
Grant helps project realize “ultra-productive” biofuel crops, attract investors
Imagine—instead of acres of oil wells on barren land—endless fields of towering green sugarcane, with each stalk producing renewable and...
Claire Benjamin
May 10, 20162 min read
Illinois and Syngenta sign agreement for access to RIPE IP
The University of Illinois and Syngenta have signed an agreement to implement a commercialization strategy.
Claire Benjamin
Jan 12, 20163 min read
Open-source plant database confirms top US bioenergy crop
Scientists have confirmed that Miscanthus, long speculated to be the top biofuel producer, yields more than twice as much as switchgrass...
Claire Benjamin
Jan 6, 20162 min read
Using game theory to help prevent pregnancy disorders
Life is a game. From the moment sperm fertilizes egg, you are either winning or losing. Using game theory--the study of competition and...
Claire Benjamin
Dec 18, 20152 min read
Ruby Mendenhall: How stress gets under the skin
David Satcher, former U.S. Surgeon General, noted in his 2005 research that if health disparities were eliminated there would be...
Claire Benjamin & Kathryn Metcalf
Dec 2, 20155 min read
ARPA-E TERRA program kicks-off
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) kicked off its new TERRA (or Transportation Energy Resource from Renewable...
Claire Benjamin
Nov 15, 20152 min read
Monica Uddin: Transgenerational transmission of disorders
In 1994, extremist Hutus slaughtered an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in the small east African country of Rwanda in the...
Claire Benjamin
Nov 2, 20152 min read
It’s time to stop thinking in terms of food versus fuel
Whether you have taken a side or a backseat in the discussion, the “food versus fuel” debate affects us all. Some say growing more...
Claire Benjamin
Sep 15, 20153 min read
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