Salk Institute researchers have established the first genetic atlas to span the entire Arabidopsis thaliana life cycle, capturing the gene expression patterns of 400,000 cells. The resource—available online for free—will help expand research and development in plant biotechnology, agriculture, and environmental sciences.

Researchers have identified key factors that influence the flavour of chocolate during the cocoa bean fermentation process, a discovery that could offer chocolate producers a powerful tool to craft consistently high-quality, flavour-rich chocolate.

Farmers in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, pay four to six times more for crop insurance than their counterparts in the upper Midwest, and Hunter Biram wanted to know why. The result of his research with colleagues in Kansas was published in late July in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.

Until recently, the color variations observed in the petals of Saintpaulia were attributed to periclinal chimera or the influence of genetically distinct cell layers. Now, a new study by researchers from Japan has identified a single gene called SiMYB2 that regulates petal colors in Saintpaulia by producing two distinct mRNA transcripts. This study lays the foundation for future horticulture-related research and can aid the deliberate breeding of patterned flowers.