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.

Modified soybeans yield more in future climate conditions

Claire Benjamin

May 3, 2017
2 min

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...

Scientists engineer sugarcane to produce biodiesel, more sugar for ethanol

Claire Benjamin

Apr 4, 2017
3 min

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...

Newly characterized protein has potential to save U.S. farmers millions annually

Claire Benjamin

Mar 30, 2017
2 min

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...

Crop achilles' heel costs farmers 10 percent of potential yield

Claire Benjamin

Jan 24, 2017
3 min

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.

Dual-purpose biofuel crops could extend production, increase profits

Claire Benjamin

Jan 11, 2017
3 min

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...

Soybean plants with fewer leaves yield more

Claire Benjamin

Nov 19, 2016
3 min

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...

Researchers root for more cassava research

Claire Benjamin

Oct 18, 2016
3 min

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

Sep 27, 2016
2 min

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...

Rapid gene analysis method accelerates photosynthesis studies

Claire Benjamin

Sep 14, 2016
3 min

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...

Desert elephants pass on knowledge—not mutations—to survive

Claire Benjamin

Aug 3, 2016
3 min

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.

Endangered venomous mammal predates dinosaurs' extinction, study confirms

Claire Benjamin

May 22, 2016
2 min

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.

Grant helps project realize “ultra-productive” biofuel crops, attract investors

Claire Benjamin

May 20, 2016
2 min

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 10, 2016
2 min

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...

Illinois and Syngenta sign agreement for access to RIPE IP

Claire Benjamin

Jan 12, 2016
3 min

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.

Open-source plant database confirms top US bioenergy crop

Claire Benjamin

Jan 6, 2016
2 min

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...

Using game theory to help prevent pregnancy disorders

Claire Benjamin

Dec 18, 2015
2 min

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...

Ruby Mendenhall:
How stress gets under the skin

Claire Benjamin & Kathryn Metcalf

Dec 2, 2015
5 min

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

Nov 15, 2015
2 min

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...

Monica Uddin:
Transgenerational transmission of disorders

Claire Benjamin

Nov 2, 2015
2 min

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...

It’s time to stop thinking in terms of food versus fuel

Claire Benjamin

Sep 15, 2015
3 min

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...