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Feeding Fat to Fungi
A new study published in the journal New Phytologist has produced the first
experimental evidence to suggest that Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi get
not only sugars but also their fat (lipids) from the host plant. “Until recently,
it has been assumed that the fungus obtains sugar from the plant and can
manage to make other essential nutrients itself,” says Dr. Maria Harrison at
the Boyce Thompson Institute, who worked with Dr. Peter Dörmann at the
University of Bonn on the research. “However, this is not the full story.” The
transfer of lipid may be just as important. Living inside a plant root, the fungus
will enter the root cells and create a tree-like structure called an arbuscule,
giving the symbiosis its namesake. As an arbuscule is formed, new
plant and fungal membrane must be generated, like the bark
on the extending branches of a growing tree. To do so, both
organisms ramp up production of lipids, which are
important building blocks for cell membranes.
- eurekalert.org
Teen Designs Filter to Save Stream
Seventeen-year-old Paige Brown designed an inexpensive filter to remove phosphorus from water
after she discovered the water in her local streams were more polluted than she thought. About
the size of a quarter, each filter contains magnesium and aluminum embedded in a gel made from
calcium alginate. The metals bind with phosphorus, forming a precipitate that can be easily removed
from water. Brown says each filter can absorb 127 milligrams of phosphorus and costs about $3 to
make. Brown eventually plans to place the filters in detention ponds constructed to collect storm
water. That way, the runoff could be filtered before being carefully released into a natural
stream or lake. She would also like to improve the filter by adding
silver nanoparticles to kill bacteria such as E. coli. Her work
earned her first place and $150,000 at the Intel Science Talent
Search, an annual competition for high school seniors.
- sciencenewsforstudents.org
Detroit Urban Farm Receives $100,000 in Grants
to Repurpose Blighted Home Site
The site of a razed home in Detroit’s North End neighborhood is being
transformed into a rain water harvesting cistern and recreational space. The Michigan
Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI) project at 325 Horton St. is being supported by $100,000 in corporate
grants. Minneapolis-based Target Corp. provided the all-volunteer non-profit a $25,000 grant to convert
the roughly 2,300-square-foot property into a cistern using technology produced by Saginaw-based
Blue Thumb Inc., MUFI President Tyson Gersh says. France-based Garnier LLC also provided a
$25,000 grant, in addition to a $50,000 grant in conjunction with New Jersey-bas ed TerraCycle,
to develop outdoor recreational space and supporting infrastructure, he says. “This is
important for urban agriculture as a whole, which struggles to get water as a whole.
Through the automated system, we’ve optimized our own irrigation practices that
cuts the amount of time that it takes to water our crop,” Gersh says.
- crainsdetroit.com
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