An Agricultural Mosaic in Taiwan from Landsat 9 (4/23/2026)

I just saw this NASA report today. It shows the beautiful rural landscape of Taiwan as seen from Landsat 9, a mosaic created by various farmland uses.  The 3 photos are from NASA report.

The farmland plots in Taiwan are mostly 0.1-0.3 hectares. The large plot of farmland belongs to Taiwan Sugar Corporation, while the blue-green farmland is covered with simple plastic sheeting for shade nets. The satellite imagery provides a clear view of all farmland uses.

今天剛好看到這篇 NASA 的報導，這是用 Landsat 9 看臺灣農村的美麗地景，由各種不同農地利用產生的馬賽克拼圖。

臺灣農田坵塊大概都是1-3分地，那個大片農田坵塊的是台糖的農地，而看起來藍綠色的農地則是覆蓋了簡易塑膠布的溫網室(shade nets)，衛星影像讓農地利用一覽無遺。

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/human-dimensions/agriculture/an-agricultural-mosaic-in-taiwan/

 (NASA)

 (NASA)

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My memories of research funding from a long time ago

I remember attending the ASPB (American Society of Plant Biologists) annual meeting a long time ago when I was a PhD student. A speaker used a bar chart to illustrate the distribution of US research funding across different fields. Research funding in biology was already significantly less than in other fields, and almost all of that funding went to medical and health related research. Funding for plant science was so minimal that it didn't even appear on that chart. Yes, some say that even without plant science research, plants can grow simply by being planted; without this basic research, they might just not grow well. Why would decision-makers care about this research? When resources are scarce, everyone has to work even harder to compete for limited funding. Back then, biomass energy was highly valued, so we could still apply for funding from the DOE. However, with more applicants than available funding, lab research funding was still insufficient. Graduate students had to register and prioritize the number of kits they could use to avoid interrupting experiments… Graduate students and their advisors would joke that if they could find a military application for the poplar plant they were researching, then they could apply for research funding from the DOD.

Here, I would like to pay tribute to those who continue to work on basic research even when funding is insufficient. I still love plant research, even though I can't continue it due to reality and practical limitations.

我記得在很久以前我還在唸博士時，去參加 ASPB (American Society of Plant Biologists)年度大會，有一位講者用柱狀圖展示美國科研經費在不同領域的分佈。

生物領域的研究經費已經比其他領域少很多了，而生物領域裡面的經費幾乎都是在醫學及健康相關研究上面，植物科學的經費是少到在那張圖上連一個pixel都沒有。是啊，有人說，即使不做植物科學研究，植物種下去就可以生長，沒有這些基礎研究可能只是長得不好，做決策的人怎麼會在乎這些研究，當資源不足時，大家只好更加努力在有限的經費中彼此爭奪。

那時候還是重視生質能的時代，所以還能向DOE申請經費，但是僧多粥少的情況下，實驗室的研究經費仍然不足，研究生必須登記及排序可以使用的kits數量以免造成實驗中斷而...。研究生和指導教授們會彼此開玩笑說，如果能幫我們研究的植物poplar找到軍事用途就好了，那就可以向DOD申請研究經費了。

在此，要對那些即使在經費不足的情況下仍然努力於基礎研究的人致敬。我還是喜歡植物研究，即使限於現實環境而無法繼續。

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TASA Act

This is a great news.

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Schmitt, Duckworth, Bennet’s Bipartisan Bill to Promote Space Exploration, Boost U.S.-Taiwan Relations Passes Commerce Committee (March 4, 2026) (from the press release of U.S. senator Eric Schmitt)

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senators Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Michael Bennet (D-CO) today announced their bipartisan Taiwan and American Space Assistance Act (TASA) passed out of the Commerce Committee and will now head to the Senate floor. TASA helps the United States counter threats from China and addresses current gaps in NASA’s ability to cooperate with Taiwan’s space efforts, including satellite programs, space exploration initiatives, and atmospheric and weather research.

(source: https://www.schmitt.senate.gov/media/press-releases/schmitt-duckworth-bennets-bipartisan-bill-to-promote-space-exploration-boost-u-s-taiwan-relations-passes-commerce-committee/)

美國參議院參議員埃里克·施密特(共和黨，密蘇裡州)、塔米·達克沃斯(民主黨，伊利諾州)和邁克爾·貝內特(民主黨，科羅拉多州)在 March 4, 2026 宣布，他們共同提出的兩黨合作法案《臺灣與美國太空援助法案》（TASA)已獲商務委員會通過，即將提交參議院全體會議審議。 TASA旨在幫助美國應對來自中國的威脅，並彌補美國國家航空暨太空總署(NASA)在與臺灣太空計畫合作方面存在的不足，這些合作涵蓋衛星計畫、太空探索計畫以及大氣和氣象研究等領域。

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Carbon sink: Living Rocks in the South Africa

Microbial win in the amount and speed of carbon sink this time.

1. Study Showcases Resilience and Rapid Growth of “Living Rocks” (Dec. 15, 2025) (https://www.bigelow.org/news/articles/2025-12-15.html)

Based on daily rates of carbon uptake, the team estimates that these microbialites can absorb the equivalent of nine to 16 kilograms of carbon dioxide every year per square meter. That’s like a tennis court-sized area absorbing as much CO2 every year as three acres of forest, making these systems one of the most efficient biological mechanisms for long-term carbon storage observed in nature.

2. Nature Communication (08 December 2025) (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-66552-8) (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66552-8)

Integration of multiple metabolic pathways supports high rates of carbon precipitation in living microbialites

Authors: Rachel E. Sipler, Eric W. Isemonger, Samantha C. Waterworth, Steffen H. Büttner, Thomas G. Bornman, Ross-Lynne A. Gibb, Xavier Siwe Noundou, Siddarthan Venkatachalam & Rosemary A. Dorrington

Abstract: Microbialites are lithifying microbial mats that form multi-layered structures via biological carbon (C) uptake and carbonate precipitation. Here we relate C uptake and precipitation rates to taxonomic diversity and functional capacity of bacterial communities in supratidal freshwater microbialites. Diel assays and analysis of functional gene capacity reveal that photosynthesis is bolstered by light-independent, biological C uptake mechanisms, including biomineralization and chemoautotrophy. Through integration of these mechanisms, microbialites can capture inorganic C over a 24-hour cycle at a rate of 7-12 g C m-2 24 h-1. Notably, up to 87 % of the C taken up is precipitated as inorganic carbon, capturing 2.4 − 4.3 kg C m-2 year-1. Based on observed porosity and laboratory-based accretion rates, this equates to 13-23 mm of vertical calcium carbonate accumulation per year. Hence, contemporary microbialites provide a highly effective biological mechanism to precipitate dissolved CO2 as geologically stable carbonate mineral deposits.

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1. 根據每日碳吸收率，研究團隊估計，這些微生物岩每年每平方公尺(m2)可吸收相當於 9~16 kg的CO2。這相當於一個網球場大小的區域每年吸收的CO2量相當於三英畝(acre)森林，這使得這些系統成為自然界中觀察到的最有效的長期碳儲存生物機制之一。

2. 微生物岩是由微生物墊層形成的岩化體，透過生物碳（C）吸收和碳酸鹽沉澱形成多層結構。本文研究了潮上帶淡水微生物岩中細菌群落的分類多樣性和功能能力與碳吸收和沈澱速率之間的關係。晝夜節律測定和功能基因能力分析表明，光合作用受到光合作用非光依賴性生物碳吸收機制的促進，這些機制包括生物礦化和化能自養。透過整合這些機制，微生物岩可以在24小時週期內以7-12 g C m-2 24 h-1的速率捕獲無機碳。值得注意的是，高達87%的吸收碳以無機碳的形式沉澱，每年捕獲2.4-4.3 kg C m-2。根據觀測到的孔隙率和實驗室測定的沉積速率，這相當於每年垂直方向累積13-23毫米的碳酸鈣。因此，現代微生物岩提供了一種高效的生物機制，可以將溶解的二氧化碳沉澱為地質穩定的碳酸鹽礦物沉積物。

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CDC ACIP meeting on Sep. 18-19, 2025 regarding COVID-19 vaccines

Supporters of the KMT and CCP in Taiwan have once again begun spreading bizarre rumors, claiming, "The US CDC ACIP announced at its September 19, 2025 meeting that long-term safety uncertainties exist for the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. With an overwhelming vote of 12 in favor, 0 against, and 0 abstentions, the recommendation for universal vaccination of the COVID-19 vaccine has been completely terminated." They then criticize the Taiwan CDC for inaction.

I've looked up the CDC ACIP meeting materials and conclusions from September 18, 2025 to September 19, 2025, as well as reports from CBS News. Whether vaccines are beneficial or harmful to the body is a matter of scientific research and should not be used as a tool for political warfare.  I'm not sure what the KMT and CCP supporters are trying to accomplish with these statements. They used rumors to try to discredit the Taiwan CDC and Medigen COVID-19 protein vaccine before, and they're now using them to discredit the CDC's epidemic prevention policies. Their tactics are exactly the same.

臺灣的藍白紅(國民黨及中共)支持者又開始在傳奇怪的謠言，謠言中宣稱 "美國 CDC ACIP在 9/19/2025 會議中宣布新冠 mRNA疫苗長期存在安全不確定性 以12票贊成、0票反對、0棄權，壓倒性的無異議，徹底終止對於新冠疫苗的普遍接種建議。"然後抨擊臺灣CDC無所作為。

我去查了 CDC ACIP 9/18/2025-9/19/2025 會議資料及結論，以及美國 CBS News 的報導，和請大家自評吧。疫苗對身體是否有益或有害，這是科學研究，不應該變成政治鬥爭的籌碼。不知道藍白紅支持者現在放出這樣的言論是要做什麼，當初他們用謠言想盡辦法要打死臺灣的 CDC 及 高端-蛋白質疫苗時，和現在想要繼續用謠言打死臺灣CDC的防疫政策，作法如出一轍。

Final ACIP September 18-19, 2025 Meeting Agenda (posted 9-19-2025)

https://www.cdc.gov/acip/downloads/agendas/final-posted-2025-09-19-508.pdf

Anticipated Votes

https://www.cdc.gov/acip/meetings/upcoming.html

ACIP Presentation Slides: September 18-19, 2025 Meeting

https://www.cdc.gov/acip/meetings/presentation-slides-september-18-19-2025.html

YouTube Live Stream Link 9-18-2025

https://youtube.com/live/-6uBNXsYRHQ?feature=share

YouTube Live Stream Link 9-19-2025

https://youtube.com/live/_9ChY9SpPlY?feature=share

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Based on CBS News, the CDC ACIP meeting on 9/19/2025 voted on their recommendations: 

1. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, voted Friday on changes to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.
2. The panel voted against recommending that a prescription be a requirement for COVID-19 vaccination. It also voted against recommending the vaccine for all adults, instead leaving it up to individuals.

(https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/cdc-vaccine-advisory-panel-covid-19-hepatitis-b-vaccines/)

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Satellite application: Global Fishing Watch

Another useful satellite tool for understanding fishing activity worldwide.

Global Fishing Watch

https://globalfishingwatch.org/map/index

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Terrain and tidal information should be consider if the sluice gates should be opened when heavy rain causes flooding

Heavy rains in Tainan starting in the early morning of August 2, 2025, caused severe flooding. Residents of Wenshan Village in Beimen District were complaining about the government's decision not to open the sluice gates to release water into the sea. The Tainan City Water Resources Bureau stated that the sluice gates had just been completed and had not yet been inspected, and that high tides could cause seawater backflow.

Let's examine why the sluice gates shouldn't be opened.

1. This is an overlay of a contour map and orthophoto from the Ministry of the Interior's National Land Surveying and Mapping Center. Fig. 1 shows that Tainan's west coast is low-lying, with many elevations at 0 meters above sea level. Fig. 2 takes a closer look at Beimen District. Wenshan Village in Beimen District is not high. Considering the location of the township's houses, the road elevation indicated in the red box is about 1 meter, meaning that much of this area is actually between 0 and 1 meters above sea level.

2. After examining the terrain elevations, consider the day's tide information. The tide forecast provides the approximate times of high and low tides, allowing you to anticipate potential conditions. However, let's use the measured data in Fig. 3 to examine the tide. The tide height at 4:00 AM on August 2, 2025, could reach 1.05 m, and at 6:00 PM on August 2, 2025, it could reach 0.83 m.

The tidal height is comparable to the terrain here, and may even be higher. If the sluice gates were opened, seawater would inevitably flow back in. This would first submerge areas with an elevation of 0 m, then flood farmland, and finally move toward towns. Not only would buildings be submerged in seawater, but farmland would also be submerged, which would ruin all farmland. I'm not sure the critics understand what they're asking for. Do they want all villagers to be submerged in rainwater and seawater, and all farmland to be destroyed?

8/2/2025 臺南豪大雨造成大淹水，就有北門文山里的人在那裏大罵政府為什麼不開水閘門讓水排到海裡。臺南市水利局表示該閘門才剛完工還沒驗收，而且遇到漲潮會造成海水倒灌。

讓我們來看看為什麼不應該開閘門。

1. 這是內政部國土測繪中心的等高線圖和正射影像的疊圖，Fig. 1 顯示臺南西海岸地勢低窪，很多高程都是海拔高 0 m。再來用 Fig. 2 細看北門區，北門區文山里的地勢並不高，以鄉鎮房屋所在地來看，紅框裡面標示的路面高程是 1 m，也就是說這附近其實很多都是介於 0~1 m 之間的海拔高度。

2. 看完地勢高程，再來看當天的潮汐資訊，在潮汐預報上可知當天的高低潮的大約時間，事先就可以知道可能的情況。不過這裡用 Fig. 3 的實測資料來看一下，8/2/2025 凌晨 4:00 的潮高可以到 1.05 m，8/2/2025 18:00 的時候潮高維 0.83 m。

潮水高度和這裡的地勢差不多，甚至有可能更高。如果開了水閘門，海水一定會倒灌進來，海水倒灌進來，先是將那些高程為 0 m 的地方都淹沒，接著就會向農地及鄉鎮淹過來，除了建物要泡海水，農地也會泡在海水裡面，農地泡了海水就廢了。我不確定批評的人到底知不知道他在要求什麼，難道他希望所有人鄉民除了泡雨水還要泡海水，然後所有的農地全部毀掉嗎？

Fig. 1. 臺南沿海一代高程(m, AMSL) (source: 內政部國土測繪中心)

Fig. 2. 臺南北門區文山里鄉鎮區高程(m, AMSL) (source: 內政部國土測繪中心)

Fig. 3. 交通部氣象署提供的潮高資訊

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NASA's PACE satellite image could help us to evaluate plant health

NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite (https://go.nasa.gov/44CDtAR)

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The following information is from NASA's post on FB today (https://www.facebook.com/share/v/14EdB9bGkUQ/)

This is a year’s worth of PACE vegetation data.
NASA’s PACE satellite can measure subtle changes in leaf color by detecting pigments like chlorophyll, carotenoids, and anthocyanins. Together, these pigments can help scientists assess how healthy the plants are!

This visualization shows a full year of vegetation data from March 2024 to March 2025. Magenta represents anthocyanins, green represents chlorophyll, and cyan represents carotenoids. The brighter the colors are, the more leaves are in that area. White represents areas where all three pigments were roughly equal.
Watch how the colors change and move. This illustrates how vegetation changes throughout the seasons and how plants adapt to stresses like weather fluctuations.
Learn more about the visualization: https://go.nasa.gov/44CDtAR

以下這段話是翻譯自NASA的FB貼文：

這是一年的NASA的 PACE 植被資料。

NASA 的 PACE 衛星可以透過檢測葉綠素( chlorophyll)、類胡蘿蔔素(carotenoids)和花青素(anthocyanins)等色素來測量葉片顏色的細微變化，這些色素可以幫助科學家評估植物的健康狀況！

此視覺化圖表展示了 2024 年 3 月至 2025 年 3 月全年的植被數據。洋紅色代表花青素，綠色代表葉綠素，青色代表類胡蘿蔔素。顏色越亮，該區域的葉子越多。白色代表三種色素含量大致相等的區域。

觀察顏色如何變化和移動。這顯示了植被在整個季節中如何變化，以及植物如何適應天氣波動等壓力。

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Different watering time could alter production of tomato

Watering at different times can affect gene expression and thus alter crop yield. I wonder if all crops use similar mechanisms.

不同時間澆水會影響基因表現，進而影響作物產量，不知是否所有的作物都有類似的控制機制。

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Differential impact of dawn and dusk watering on tomato metabolism and biomass allocation (João Antonio Siqueira, Auxiliadora O Martins, Thiago Wakin, Lucas Realto, et al.) https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf227 #PlantScience

Abstract: Water supply constraints limit crop yield across seasons and locations, restricting food production under diverse climate scenarios. Irrigation schedules that align with plant water demand at specific times of the day have been proposed to overcome limitations in the water supply. Watering crops in the morning has been associated with reductions in productivity, although the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that watering tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) at different times of the day alters the transcriptional patterns of genes controlling flowering induction. Dawn-watering (DAW) triggered a strong repression of the Single Flower Truss (SFT) gene, leading to metabolite accumulation and delayed development. Dusk-watered (DUW) plants showed increased fruit production compared to DAW-treated plants. Our findings highlight how metabolism and development in tomato are remodeled by the timing of watering, suggesting strategies to enhance tomato water-use efficiency (WUE) by incorporating time-specific watering practices in agriculture.

(Ref: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CQujMSP4d/)

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The flowering gene, FLC, is my favorite gene

The flowering gene, FLC, is my favorite gene.  Here is a recently published paper about how FLC functions and regulates in Arabidopsis.

Species-wide gene editing of a flowering regulator reveals hidden phenotypic variation (https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003226)
Abstract: Genes do not act in isolation, and the effects of a specific variant at one locus can often be greatly modified by polymorphic variants at other loci. A good example is FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), which has been inferred to explain much of the flowering time variation in Arabidopsis thaliana. We use a set of 62 flc species-wide mutants to document pleiotropic, genotype-dependent effects for FLC on flowering as well as several other traits. Time to flowering was greatly reduced in all mutants, with the remaining variation explained mainly by allelic variation at the FLC target FT. Analysis of FT sequence variation suggested that extremely early combinations of FLC and FT alleles should exist in the wild, which we confirmed by targeted collections. Our study provides a proof-of-concept on how pan-genetic analysis of hub genes can reveal the true extent of genetic networks in a species.

This is the pathway I created in my 2008 literature review, based on papers published before 2008.

FLC是我最喜愛的基因了，是調控植物開花的核心。

https://vocus.cc/article/6847dd4ffd8978000177de97

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Does stimulating the lymphatics under skin on the neck and face enhance brain waste clearance?

This is a recent publication on the Nature. Is it true? If it is true, then we should celebrate this new discovery and do it ourselves daily.

1. Hokyung Jin et al., Increased CSF drainage by non-invasive manipulation of cervical lymphatics. Nature (2025) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09052-5

2. New non-invasive method discovered to enhance brain waste clearance. Retrieved June 5, 2025 from https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1085928

如果真的可以靠簡單的按摩來排除腦內累積的廢物，那真是應該要天天自己動手。

(images from https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Aiz226AKS/)

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Climate-smart rice Jaspe in Chile

Jaspe, a new rice variety developed in Chile, can thrive in dry and cold environments, maintain yields in drought conditions, and reduce CH4 emissions. I want to know if it can also maintain good growth in dry and hot environments, or continue to produce abundant yields in variable dry and wet environments. The reason that I am thinking about this is that these two conditions are occurring quite frequently in Taiwan. As for the description of its yield, Jaspe produces 30 ears of rice. I would like to know if the number and weight of grains per ear of rice are the same as the ordinary rice it is compared with. If so, it really has 10 times the yield as it claims.

智利培育出來的新品種水稻 "氣候智慧型水稻" Jaspe，能在乾燥、寒冷的環境裡生長旺盛，在乾旱情況下維持產量，同時達到減排。不知道是否也能在乾旱炎熱的環境裡維持良好的生長，或是在多變的乾濕環境下繼續產量豐富。

至於其產量的描述，Jaspe產出30株稻穗，不知每株稻穗的穀粒數及重量是否和其拿來比較的一般稻米一樣多，如果是，那就真的如其所說有10倍產量了。

https://news.pts.org.tw/article/752588

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250429-less-thirsty-rice-offers-hope-in-drought-stricken-chile

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About Endosymbiotic Gene Transfer (EGT)

It is very interesting, I didn’t know that mitochondria and chloroplast would do this before. Please check the following links yourself if you want to know more.

很有趣啊，我以前都不知道 Mitochondria and Chloroplast 會這樣做啊，請大家自己看下面的連結及說明。

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Suppression of plastid-to-nucleus gene transfer by DNA double-strand break repair (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-025-02005-w)

"Abstract: Plant nuclear genomes contain thousands of genes of mitochondrial and plastid origin as the result of endosymbiotic gene transfer (EGT). EGT is a still-ongoing process, but the molecular mechanisms determining its frequency remain largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that nuclear double-strand break (DSB) repair is a strong suppressor of EGT. Through large-scale genetic screens in tobacco plants, we found that EGT from plastids to the nucleus occurs more frequently in somatic cells when individual DSB repair pathways are inactive. This effect is explained by the expected increase in the number and residence time of DSBs available as integration sites for organellar DNA. We also show that impaired DSB repair causes EGT to increase 5- to 20-fold in the male gametophyte. Together, our data (1) uncover DSB levels as a key determinant of EGT frequency, (2) reveal the strong mutagenic potential of organellar DNA and (3) suggest that changes in DNA repair capacity can impact EGT across evolutionary timescales."

葉綠體基因搬家時：核基因體如何決定「接不接受」這份大禮？(https://vocus.cc/article/68298bf0fd89780001fa74fc)

"在植物演化史上，有個默默進行了幾十億年的大搬家工程──葉綠體和粒線體裡的基因，陸續轉移到細胞核裡，這個過程叫做內共生基因轉移（Endosymbiotic Gene Transfer, EGT）。雖然我們已經知道這件事發生了很久、很久、很久，也看到許多核基因帶有葉綠體或粒線體的痕跡，但一個問題始終沒有明確答案：這些基因是怎麼進去的？又為什麼有時候轉移得多，有時候轉移得少？"

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Transition from Trait to Environment (TTE)

Let's read this report by IRRI, "IRRI Scientists Introduces New Breeding Approach to Harness Genomic Selection in Challenging Environments".

They develop a new breeding approach, called “Transition from Trait to Environment (TTE)”.

Figure 1. Breeding schemes for developing flood-tolerant genotypes. (A) Traditional method: a submergence-tolerant donor is crossed with high-yielding lines to combine traits. (B) Redesigned approach: elite genotypes with fixed submergence tolerance are intercrossed, and progenies are evaluated under natural flooding to select for yield and agronomic performance. Trait submergence tolerance is already fixed among the parental genotypes. (https://ricetoday.irri.org/irri-scientists-introduces-new-breeding-approach-to-harness-genomic-selection-in-challenging-environments/)

這是為了提高作物對氣候變遷的耐受度，也就是提高作物適應逆境環境。在育種時，傳統育種是先從高產量的品系開始，然後再慢慢加入能適應逆境的性狀來做篩選。TTE則是直接從能適應逆境的作物開始，再去篩選出高產量的後代，此時因為親代本來就都帶有適應逆境的基因，所以所有的子代都能適應逆境，此時只要專注於篩選出高產量的即可。

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The New Rice variety: Climate-smart Jaspe

Jaspe, a new rice variety developed in Chile, can thrive in dry and cold environments, maintain high yields in drought conditions, and reduce CH4 emissions. I need to read their published paper to make sure if it can also maintain good growth in dry and hot environments, or continue to produce abundant yields in variable dry-wet environment.

As for the description of its yield, the news said that Jaspe produces 30 ears of rice. I need to read their published paper to make sure if the number and weight of grains per ear of rice are the same as the ordinary rice it is compared with. If so, it really has 10 times the yield as it claims.

智利培育出來的新品種水稻 "氣候智慧型水稻" Jaspe，能在乾燥、寒冷的環境裡生長旺盛，在乾旱情況下維持的產量，同時達到減排。不知道是否也能在乾旱炎熱的環境裡維持良好的生長，或是在多變的乾濕環境下繼續產量豐富。

至於其產量的描述，Jaspe產出30株稻穗，不知每株稻穗的穀粒數及重量是否和其拿來比較的一般稻米一樣多，如果是，那就真的如其所說有10倍產量了。

https://news.pts.org.tw/article/752588

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250429-less-thirsty-rice-offers-hope-in-drought-stricken-chile

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About SIF (Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence)

"What is SIF?  SIF (Solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence) is an electromagnetic signal emitted by the chlorophyll a of assimilating plants: part of the energy absorbed by chlorophyll a is not used for photosynthesis, but emitted at longer wavelengths as a two-peak spectrum roughly covering the 650–850 nm spectral range." (SENTINEL-5P+ INNOVATION)

650-850nm is the spectral range of SIF.  People collect the data of 687nm, 730-780nm, 760nm, etc.. Some papers mentioned that the emission peaks are 685nm and 740nm. TROPOMI on Sentinel-5P+ collects SIF data emitted from two fitting windows: 743-758 nm window (baseline product) and 735-758 nm.

1. Ground far-red sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence and vegetation indices in the US Midwestern agroecosystems (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-024-03004-w)

This paper should be a good reference of SIF.

2. Phenotyping Plant Responses to Biotic Stress by Chlorophyll Fluorescence Imaging
(https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2019.01135/full)

3. SIF Learn a New Approach to Remote Sensing of Vegetation (NASA, March 3, 2021)
(https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/our-impact/news/solar-induced-fluorescence-learn-new-approach-remote-sensing-vegetation)

Training:
ARSET - Use of Solar Induced Fluorescence and LIDAR to Assess Vegetation Change and Vulnerability (NASA, March 16, 18, 23, & 25, 2021)

(https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/get-involved/training/english/arset-use-solar-induced-fluorescence-and-lidar-assess-vegetation)

4. Sentinel-5P+ Innovation SIF (https://eo4society.esa.int/projects/sentinel-5p-innovation-solar-induced-chlorophyll-fluorescence-sif/)

Scientific Papers

(1) The influence of plant water stress on vegetation-atmosphere exchanges: Implications for ozone modelling (Emmerichs T.; Lu Y.-S.; Taraborrelli D., Biogeosciences (2024))
(2) An Operational Downscaling Method of Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF) for Regional Drought Monitoring (Hong Z., Hu Y., Cui C., Yang X., Tao C., Luo W., Zhang W., Li L., Meng L., Agriculture (Switzerland) (2022))
(3) TROPOMI SIF reveals large uncertainty in estimating the end of plant growing season from vegetation indices data in the Tibetan Plateau (Yang J., Xiao X., Doughty R., Zhao M., Zhang Y., Köhler P., Wu X., Frankenberg C., Dong J., Remote Sensing of Environment (2022))

5. Google AI Overview

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New device produces critical fertilizer ingredient 'ammonia' from thin air

Today I unexpectedly came across a study: At room temperature and normal atmospheric conditions, ammonia is produced by driving air and water vapor through a catalyst-coated mesh using wind energy. It seems quite interesting, I should read the paper.

今天意外看到一個研究：在室溫及一般大氣的環境下，藉由風能驅動空氣及水氣通過塗有催化劑的網(catalyst-coated-mesh)來產生氨。好像蠻有趣的，應該要來讀paper一下。

New device produces critical fertilizer ingredient from thin air, cutting carbon emissions (https://news.stanford.edu/.../new-device-produces...)

Onsite ammonia synthesis from water vapor and nitrogen in the air (https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.ads4443?af=R)

(Song, X., Basheer, C., Xu, J., & Zare, R. N. (2024). Onsite ammonia synthesis from water vapor and nitrogen in the air. Science Advances. https://doi.org/ads4443)

(Fig. 1. Diagram of the onsite preparation of green ammonia.)

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Paper: Light stimulation of mitochondria reduces blood glucose levels

This is the abstract of paper published on Feb. 20, 2024 on Journal of Biophotonics: Light stimulation of mitochondria reduces blood glucose levels

Is it true that we could reduce blood sugar level by exposure to 670 nm red light?

<Abstract>
Mitochondria regulate metabolism, but solar light influences its rate. Photobiomodulation (PBM) with red light (670 nm) increases mitochondrial membrane potentials and adenosine triphosphate production and may increase glucose demand. Here we show, with a glucose tolerance test, that PBM of normal subjects significantly reduces blood sugar levels. A 15 min exposure to 670 nm light reduced the degree of blood glucose elevation following glucose intake by 27.7%, integrated over 2 h after the glucose challenge. Maximum glucose spiking was reduced by 7.5%. Consequently, PBM with 670 nm light can be used to reduce blood glucose spikes following meals. This intervention may reduce damaging fluctuations of blood glucose on the body.

https://doi.org/10.1002/jbio.202300521
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How humans adapted to digest lactose

從 ancient pottery fat residue 中知道其來源，所以可以知道人類從什麼時候開始食用乳製品。從族群量知道當時是否面臨生存危機，發現其實人類開始食用乳製品和健康並沒有太大的關係，反而可能是在 famine and/or increased pathogen exposure 所造成的 Nature selection 而開始讓 LP genotype 流傳下來。

How humans adapted to digest lactose — after thousands of years of milk drinking (Nature Podcast 00:45-8:56)

The description from Nature podcast: Humans have been drinking milk for thousands of years, but it seems that they were doing so long before the ability to digest it became prevalent. Then, around 2,000 years ago, this ability became common in Europe, presenting a mystery to researchers — why then? Now, by analysing health data, ancient DNA and fats residues from thousands of ancient pots, scientists have worked out what caused this trait to suddenly spread throughout Europe.

The mystery of early milk consumption in Europe (Shevan Wilkin, Nature News & Views, 27 July 2022) (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-02041-y)

Dairying, diseases and the evolution of lactase persistence in Europe. (Evershed, R.P., Davey Smith, G., Roffet-Salque, M. et al., Nature, 27 July 2022) (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05010-7)

Abstract from Nature: In European and many African, Middle Eastern and southern Asian populations, lactase persistence (LP) is the most strongly selected monogenic trait to have evolved over the past 10,000 years1. Although the selection of LP and the consumption of prehistoric milk must be linked, considerable uncertainty remains concerning their spatiotemporal configuration and specific interactions2,3. Here we provide detailed distributions of milk exploitation across Europe over the past 9,000 years using around 7,000 pottery fat residues from more than 550 archaeological sites. European milk use was widespread from the Neolithic period onwards but varied spatially and temporally in intensity. Notably, LP selection varying with levels of prehistoric milk exploitation is no better at explaining LP allele frequency trajectories than uniform selection since the Neolithic period. In the UK Biobank4,5 cohort of 500,000 contemporary Europeans, LP genotype was only weakly associated with milk consumption and did not show consistent associations with improved fitness or health indicators. This suggests that other reasons for the beneficial effects of LP should be considered for its rapid frequency increase. We propose that lactase non-persistent individuals consumed milk when it became available but, under conditions of famine and/or increased pathogen exposure, this was disadvantageous, driving LP selection in prehistoric Europe. Comparison of model likelihoods indicates that population fluctuations, settlement density and wild animal exploitation—proxies for these drivers—provide better explanations of LP selection than the extent of milk exploitation. These findings offer new perspectives on prehistoric milk exploitation and LP evolution.

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Pollinators of the sea: A discovery of animal-mediated fertilization in seaweed

海洋中的 pollinator

Like bees of the sea, crustaceans ‘pollinate’ seaweed  (Jake Buehler, Science News, JULY 28, 2022 AT 2:09 PM)

Animal-driven fertilization may have emerged in the ocean long before it did on land

Pollinators of the sea: A discovery of animal-mediated fertilization in seaweed. Science. (E. Lavaut et al. Science 377 (6605):528, July 29, 2022)

This is the COVER of Science.  All the following description is from Science: An isopod (Idotea balthica), a type of crustacean, covers itself with male gametes while feeding on the epiphytes of the red alga Gracilaria gracilis. Isopods facilitate algal fertilization by carrying spermatia on their bodies. Such animal-mediated fertilization is akin to pollination in flowering plants. See pages 471 and 528. (Photo: Wilfried Thomas, Station Biologique de Roscoff)
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