April 19, 2021
Defensive symbiosis leads to gene loss in bacterial partners
The genome of symbiotic bacteria of beewolves is in the process of being reduced to their important protective function: the production of antibiotics (PNAS, April 2021) more »
March 9, 2021
Chemical signal in plants reduces growth processes in favor of defense
Beta-cyclocitral produced by plants after herbivore attack increases defense responses while inhibiting the production of metabolites for growth (PNAS, March 2021) more »
February 16, 2021
Climate change likely drove the extinction of North America’s largest animals
New research suggests that overhunting by humans was not responsible for the extinction of mammoths, ground sloths, and other North American megafauna (Nature Communication, February 2021) more »
January 14, 2021
How plants produce defensive toxins without harming themselves
Defense and autotoxicity: Researchers elucidate the biosynthesis and mode of action of diterpene glycosides in wild tobacco (SCIENCE, January 2021), more »
December 29, 2020
Using a tree's natural defenses
Sybille Unsicker is investigating how black poplars defend themselves against voracious insects (Max Planck Research 3/2020) (pdf)