Newly discovered enzymes found in the cinchona tree play a crucial role in the production of the malaria drug quinine and other important alkaloids
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Iridoid-producing plants use a cyclase to synthesize the characteristic double-ring structure of this important class of defense compounds and medically relevant substances
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The genomes of brown algal species with diverse sexual systems reveal how sex chromosomes originate, evolve, and sometimes transform into autosomes
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Many publications by Max Planck scientists in 2022 were of great social relevance or met with a great media response. We have selected 12 articles to present you with an overview of some noteworthy research of the year
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Jana Wäldchen has played a key role in developing the plant identification app, Flora Incognita. We discussed with her how being able to identify different plants contributes to species diversity, which plant species are particularly under threat and how non-native species are suppressing local plants
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Cell-sized droplets equipped with natural and synthetic parts are able to perform photosynthesis. In the future, they could serve as bioreactors for the sustainable, light driven fixation of CO2 into value-added compounds.
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