Celebrating Plants and People
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Invasive Plants The Secret Of Galapagos Tortoises’ Health
Field research in the Galapagos shows that introduced plants make up roughly half the diet of two subspecies of endangered tortoise. What’s more, these plants seem to benefit the tortoises nutritionally, helping them stay fit and feisty.
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Saffron Better Than NSAIDS For Muscle Soreness
Muscles sore after a tough workout? Put the ibuprofen down and pick up some saffron instead. A new study has found that the spice might be more effective at easing exercise-induced muscle pain and weakness than over-the-counter anti-inflammatories.
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Why Bees Check Some Flowers For Nectar But Not Others
“This is a rare example of a pollinator being able to tell the difference between different flowers but simply choosing not to do so.”
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Bamboo Water: The Next Great “Water.” After Water That Is
The low-calorie and fat-free drink – described as ‘sweet and clean’ tasting – could be on the shelves in North America in June
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Ayahuasca, Amazon Psychedelic Tea, Treats Depression
A psychedelic drink used for centuries in healing ceremonies is now attracting the attention of biomedical scientists as a possible treatment for depression.
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Linguistics Prove Humans Brought Baobabs To Australia
When we mapped the patterns of boab gene flow and the movement of boab words between Aboriginal languages of the Kimberley, we were amazed by how closely they corresponded with each other. The overlap between the two was strong enough to prove that humans were the main agents responsible for dispersing the boab in northwest Australia.
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Everyone’s A Winner: Wine By-Product Could Replace Palm Oil
Researchers have been able to turn a type of oily yeast used in wine production into a palm oil alternative.
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Aboriginal Legend Of Rare Palms’ Origin Proven By New Research?
Australian scientists say an often-told tourist story about how an iconic Central Australia palm came to be is nothing but a lovely myth.
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Seed Characteristics Determine Success In Dispersal By Fish
Fish can play a role in seed dispersal over large distances. Heavy seeds in particular pass undamaged through the mouths and intestines of fish and may end up being dispersed for miles, both in an upstream and downstream direction.
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Is Ancient Ethiopian Grain The Next Big Thing?
Ethiopians have been growing and obsessing about teff for millennia, and it may be set to be become the new “super grain” of choice in Europe and North America, overtaking the likes of quinoa and spelt.