While many people know that the microbes in our guts are an important part of our health, many are unaware that microbes are just as important to our crops.

From elongated tubes to near-perfect spheres, vegetables come in almost every size and shape. But what differentiates a fingerling potato from a russet or a Roma tomato from a beefsteak? Researchers at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences recently found the genetic mechanism that controls the shape of some of our favorite fruits, vegetables and grains.

University of Georgia Professor Tim Brenneman now has a newly discovered truffle species named after him: Tuber brennemanii.

From farmhand to future veterinarian student, Cassie Powell has dreamed of working with animals for a long time.

With a passion for botany and a thirst for knowledge, University of Georgia scientist Peggy Ozias-Akins has established herself as one of the top molecular geneticists in the country.

One of the steepest barriers to profitable controlled-environment agriculture is the energy cost associated with providing the plants enough light, but new research being pioneered by University of Georgia could cut those costs by 50 percent.

Johnson Collins, a small-town girl from Jasper, Georgia, never believed she would work in the nation’s capital.

Bobby Smith’s first job was on his family’s dairy farm in Boaz, Alabama. He felt right at home when University of Georgia Cooperative Extension hired him to work with farmers in Morgan County, one of the state’s most productive dairy regions, 18 years ago.

University of Georgia food scientist Xiangyu Deng has been awarded the Larry Beuchat Young Researcher Award by the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). The award recognizes excellence in food safety and was presented to Deng at the IAFP meeting held July 8-11 in Salt Lake City.

It may seem like everyone on Earth has an equal chance of being born male or female. It’s about a 50-50 split, after all.