For the perfect cup of tea, start with the right bacteria
The organisms near a tea plant’s roots can influence the depth of flavour in its leaves
For the perfect cup of tea, does one add milk to boiling water, or the reverse? Neither, if new research in the journal Current Biology is to be believed. What must be prepared first, instead, are the microbes.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Microbe brewing”
From the February 17th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Science & technology
A sophisticated civilisation once flourished in the Amazon basin
How the Casarabe died out remains a mystery
Heritable Agriculture, a Google spinout, is bringing AI to crop breeding
By reducing the cost of breeding, the firm hopes to improve yields and other properties for an array of important crops
Could supersonic air travel make a comeback?
Boom Supersonic’s demonstrator jet exceeds Mach 1
Should you worry about microplastics?
Little is known about the effects on humans—but limiting exposure to them seems prudent
Wasps stole genes from viruses
That probably assisted their evolutionary diversification
America’s departure from the WHO would harm everyone
Whether it is a negotiating ploy remains to be seen