How plants can produce species without sex

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June 13, 2014 Last Updated at 12:54 IST

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Plants can transfer their entire genetic material to a partner in an asexual manner, research reveals.
German scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology have shown for the first time that new species can be generated in an asexual manner as well.
It was generally believed that a combination of desired traits can be obtained by grafting, but there is no exchange or recombination of genetic material - so-called horizontal gene transfer - between the grafted plants.
"In our previous work, we were able to prove that, contrary to the generally accepted dogma, there is horizontal gene transfer of chloroplast genes at the contact zone between grafted plants," said lead researcher Ralph Bock.
Now we wanted to investigate if there is a transfer of genetic information between the nuclei as well, Bock added.
The researchers introduced resistance genes against two different antibiotics into nuclear genomes of the tobacco species Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana glauca, which usually cannot be crossed.
Afterwards, Nicotiana glauca was grafted onto Nicotiana tabacum or the other way round.
After fusion had occurred, scientists excised tissue at the contact zone and cultivated it on a growth medium containing both antibiotics, so that only cells containing both resistance genes and thus, DNA from both species, should survive.
The scientists succeeded in growing up numerous doubly resistant plantlets.
"We managed to produce allopolyploid plants (having two or more complete sets of chromosomes derived from different species) without sexual reproduction", said Sandra Stegemann, joint first author of the study.
When the scientists grew their new plants in the greenhouse, it became obvious that they combined characteristics of both progenitor species.
Also, the new plants grew remarkably faster than their parents.
"Grafting two species and selecting for horizontal genome transfer could become an interesting method for breeders who could use this approach to create new crop plants with higher yields and improved properties," researchers concluded.

it is not liquid, ice or vapour. This fourth form is water trapped inside the molecular structure of the minerals in the mantle rock,

Earth’s largest water reservoir found beneath North America

Press Trust of India | Washington | June 13, 2014 2:00 pm

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The according to researchers from Northwestern University and the University of New Mexico.

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Scientists discover long 'fingers' of heat beneath Earth

Scientists unlock the mystery of Earth's formation

Ancient Earth looked just like Jupiter's moon Io

Researchers believe they have found the Earth’s largest water reservoir around 643 km underneath North America, inside mantle rock.
Though not in the familiar liquid form – the ingredients for water are bound up in rock deep in the Earth’s mantle, according to researchers from Northwestern University and the University of New Mexico.
Northwestern geophysicist Steve Jacobsen and University of New Mexico seismologist Brandon Schmandt have found deep pockets of magma located about 643 km beneath North America, a likely signature of the presence of water at these depths.
The discovery suggests water from the Earth’s surface can be driven to such great depths by plate tectonics, eventually causing partial melting of the rocks found deep in the mantle. Scientists have long speculated that water is trapped in a rocky layer of the Earth’s mantle located between the lower mantle and upper mantle, at depths between 400 km and 660 km.
The study is the first to provide direct evidence that there may be water in this area of the mantle, known as the ‘transition zone,’ on a regional scale. The region extends across most of the interior of the US.
The study combined Jacobsen’s lab experiments in which he studies mantle rock under the simulated high pressures of 643 km below the Earth’s surface with Schmandt’s observations using vast amounts of seismic data from the USArray, a dense network of more than 2,000 seismometers across the US.
Their findings have converged to produce evidence that melting may occur about 643 km deep in the Earth. H2O stored in mantle rocks, such as those containing the mineral ringwoodite, likely is the key to the process, researchers said.
If just one per cent of the weight of mantle rock located in the transition zone is H2O, that would be equivalent to nearly three times the amount of water in our oceans, the researchers said.
This water is not in a form familiar to us – it is not liquid, ice or vapour. This fourth form is water trapped inside the molecular structure of the minerals in the mantle rock, researchers said.
The findings are published in the journal Science.

tattoo toxic to body

WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE INJECTING?
Way back in the day, traditional tribal tattoo marks were made using dyes from the natural environment. This is certainly not the case any more. While it’s near impossible to say what’s in all tattoo inks (they are all different, and disclosure of ingredients is not actually enforced), it’s safe to say that most colours of standard tattoo ink are derived from heavy metals.
Mercury = red ink
Lead = yellow, green, white ink
Cadmium = red, orange, yellow ink
Nickel = black ink
Zinc= yellow, white ink
Chromium = green ink
Cobalt = blue ink
Aluminium = green, violet ink
Titanium = white ink
Copper = blue, green ink
Iron = brown, red, black ink
Barium = white ink

Other compounds used as pigments include antimony, arsenic, beryllium, calcium, lithium, selenium, and sulphur.
Tattoo ink manufacturers typically blend the heavy metal pigments and/or use lightening agents (such as lead or titanium) to reduce production costs.
Why are heavy metals such a problem? They bind in our bodies and are incredibly difficult to remove. They cause damage on a cellular level and contribute to cancer, Alzheimer’s, dementia, autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, and diseases of the kidneys, circulatory system, and nervous system.
Then there’s the carrier solution, which most likely contains harmful substances such as denatured alcohols, methanol, rubbing alcohol, antifreeze, detergents, or formaldehyde and other highly toxic aldehydes.

HOW CAN WE RECTIFY THE DAMAGE?
1. Stop getting tattoos.
2. If you’re a tattoo lover, ask to be decorated in high-quality vegan, organic inks and quiz the tattoo artist about the ingredients in the ink. Be adamant that you do not want ink containing heavy metals. Do your research first!
3. Start detoxifying those heavy metals.