Biologists find novel way to improve crops yields, thanks to supercomputer

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NEW YORK: Biologists have made a new breakthrough and found a novel way of improving crops yields – thanks to a supercomputer.
Researchers from the University of Melbourne, IBM Research and the University of Queensland have managed to detail the nanostructure of cellulose (which holds the key to making better grains) by tapping into the abilities of IBM Blue Gene/Q supercomputer.
“This is a pioneering project through which we are bringing IBM Research’s expertise in computational biology, big data and Smarter Agriculture to bear in a large-scale, collaborative Australian science project with some of the brightest minds in the field,” noted Dr. John Wagner, Manager of Computational Sciences, IBM Research (Australia).
The IBM Blue Gene/Q supercomputer is capable of developing 3D models and its operating speed range is in PFLOPS or pertaFLOPS. FLoating-point Operations Per Second or FLOPS is basically a measure of the performance of a computer.
The researchers deployed a computer over tried and tested methods known to biologists as these traditional ways such as staining can be detrimental for the individual cells which the plant is composed of. Alternate methods require splitting open the cells to observe what they contain, which leads to a loss in biological activity. This in turn makes the process less conclusive.