<p>A research team led by Nebraska scientists has built the largest-ever metabolic model of corn to study how temperature stress affects the plant and how a certain fungus can help alleviate the&nbsp;problem.</p> <p>The research is an expansion of earlier work with a&nbsp;<a href="https://academic.oup.com/jxb/article/73/1/275/6374527">metabolic model of corn roots</a>&nbsp;that the same team used to study the plant&rsquo;s nitrogen-use efficiency under nitrogen stress conditions, said Rajib Saha, Richard L. and Carol S. McNeel associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and principal investigator. Saha and the team have expanded the model to comprise the entire plant, not just the roots, allowing for expanded research into the intricate metabolic interactions, their associated molecular underpinning and a variety of stressors that can affect&nbsp;productivity.</p> <p>The Nebraska-developed multi-organ metabolic model &mdash; the largest ever created of corn (or any other plant) &mdash; allows scientists to conduct research more efficiently and quickly than field research using actual corn plants.</p>

<p>Researching how bird flight can inform aircraft design is the goal of a new center to be established at UC Davis. The project, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, represents a unique collaboration between the School of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Engineering.&nbsp;</p>

<p>PNNL scientists developed a new method to map exactly how a fungus works with leafcutter ants in a complex microbial community to degrade plant material at the molecular level. The team&rsquo;s insights are important for biofuels development.</p>

<p>Pacific Island governments are increasingly imposing taxes on unhealthy foods as they battle a non-communicable disease crisis, a New Zealand study shows.</p>