Scientists identify fruit fly pest in wine grapes

September 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - By-products of red wine production could now be turned into a powder for use in everything from yoghurt and chocolates to creams and face masks, thanks to a new method invented by German and Spanish researchers. Project E! 4008 PROVINO came into being after a conversation over a glass of wine made Bernd Diehl- the 48-year-old co-owner of a German chemical analysis company called Spectral Service- think of a method to preserve the good by-products of wine.

September 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Times can be stressful for yeast when grape juice is being turned into wine. Now, a researcher from the University of Valencia, Spain has identified the genes in yeast that enable it to respond to stress.

August 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The circadian rhythms or biological "clocks" in some insects can make them far more susceptible to pesticides at some times of the day instead of others, reveal researchers at Oregon State University. The scientists said that with further research, they can tap into this genetic characteristic, identify the times that a target insect is most vulnerable to a specific pesticide, and use that information to increase the effectiveness, reduce costs and decrease the amounts of pesticide necessary for insect control.

August 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers have discovered that the circadian rhythms or biological "clocks" in some insects can make them far more susceptible to pesticides at certain times of the day than other. With further research, it may be possible to tap into this genetic characteristic, identify the times that a target insect is most vulnerable to a specific pesticide, and use that information to boost the effectiveness of a pesticide.

August 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have found that a species of orchid attracts pollen-carrying hornets by wearing the scent of their prey. Dendrobium sinense grows on the Chinese island of Hainan, where hornets capture honeybees to serve as food for their larvae.

July 31st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Resveratrol in red wine is known for controlling inflammation and promoting health. However, how the ingredient works was not known to scientists - up till now.

July 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In an effort to extend the sensory range of 'electronic noses' (e-noses), scientists from CSIRO's Food Futures Flagship have developed a system that would help compare their performance against the much-superior nose of the common house fly. "Although e-noses already have many uses - such as detecting spoilage in the food industry and monitoring air quality - they are not as discriminating as biological noses," said CSIRO scientist, Dr Stephen Trowell.

July 26th, 2009 LONDON - Move over sex toys and tantric art, a glass or two of red wine are more than enough to increase a woman's libido, say researchers. As for the reason: Italian doctors, who carried out the study, claim that chemical compounds found in red wine may boost sexual functioning by increasing blood flow to key areas of the body, The Telegraph reported.

July 7th, 2009 New inspection rules help Western cherry exportersYAKIMA, Wash. — Cherry growers in three West Coast states will be able to ship sweet cherries to Japan more cheaply because of a change in the country's pest control requirements for imports of the fruit.

June 28th, 2009 LONDON - Researchers in France have found a way to identify wine so accurately they can pinpoint where the drink was made and in which barrel it was fermented. It uses an electronic nose to make even the most well established sommelier a little nervous.

June 9th, 2009 LONDON - Chimpanzees have an inherent spatial memory that makes them remember the exact location of all their favourite fruit trees, according to a study. In fact, primatologists have found that their spatial memory is so precise that they can find a single tree among more than 12,000 others within a patch of forest.

June 9th, 2009 LONDON - The bad taste in stored wine, known as the "ladybug taint", would soon be a thing of the past, all thanks to a newly developed way of packaging the spirit-cartons sealed with a thin layer of aluminium. "Ladybug taint" is caused by chemicals called alkyl-methoxypyrazines that accumulate in wine both from grapes themselves and from remains of ladybug beetles crushed when grapes are processed.

May 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - What attracts silkworms to mulberry leaves, their primary food source, is no longer a secret because Japanese scientists have found that a jasmine-scented chemical emitted in small quantities by the leaves triggers an olfactory receptor in the insects' antennae. Kazushige Touhara, from The University of Tokyo, says that the new finding contrasts the notion that insects are generally attracted to their host plants through the recognition of a blend of volatile compounds by a combination of receptors.

March 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Move over regular juicy grapes, for 'Delicious', a new muscadine grape cultivar, has arrived. University of Florida researchers have introduced the new fruit, which ripens early, produces high yields, and is disease-resistant.

January 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have identified a cellular mechanism in mutated 'Indy' fruit flies that could help prolong life by cutting down the output of free radicals. The finding by Stephen Helfand and Nicola Neretti of Brown University and others adds another piece to the puzzle that Helfand, a professor of biology first discovered in 2000.