Celebrating Plants and People
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Plants Tailor Chemical Response To Which Insect Is Attacking
It was no surprise that the plant responded differently to having its leaves chewed by a caterpillar or pierced by an aphid’s needle-like mouthparts, But we were amazed that the plant responded so differently to insects that feed in the same way.”
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Plants Will Be Here Long After We Are Gone: They Survive Mass Extinctions Better
In the plant kingdom, mass extinction events can be seen as opportunities for turnover leading to renewed biodiversity,
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Separated For 60million Years, Two Fern Species Produce Love Child
A delicate woodland fern discovered in the mountains of France is the love child of two distantly-related groups of plants that haven’t interbred in 60 million years, genetic analyses show.
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The Environmental Impact Of Your Valentine’s Roses
Roses are a cash crop vital to the economy and livelihood of many farmers and workers – especially women. But a single rose stem requires 10 litres of fresh water to reach its full size, so the industry is a huge drain on the country’s scant water resources, an issue that causes tension and even violence in the country.
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How Two Tiny Insects, Attacking Two Different Tree Species, Are Changing Forest Sucession
Because beech and hemlock commonly co-occur in eastern North American forests, invasions by the two pest species are altering the current and future composition of large forest regions through their impacts on these two late-successional species. Such results demonstrate how forest insect invasions can profoundly modify forest dynamic processes, resulting in long-term changes in forest ecosystems
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Even Viewing Pictures Of Nature Can Reduce Human Impulsiveness
Participants were less impulsive in the condition providing visual exposure to natural scenes compared to built and geometric scenes. Results suggest that exposure to natural environments results in decreased impulsive decision-making relative to built environments.
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The Coming Invasion: Cacti
Hundreds of cactus species have been introduced outside their native ranges; a few of them are among the most damaging invasive plant species in the world.
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3,000 Year-Old Grape Seed Changes History And Builds The Future
These seeds, however, have more than a purely historical value, they are perfectly intact and can be used to enhance the island’s doc wine production. These seeds can be used to restore the genetic qualities of these indigenous wine varieties that are currently under threat of disappearance.
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Milk Thistle May Provide Non-Invasive Treatment For Certain Tumors
With silibinin we might have discovered a non-invasive treatment strategy not only for the rare Cushing Disease but also for other conditions with the involvement of glucocorticoid receptors such as lung tumors, acute lymphoblastic leukemia or multiple myeloma
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How Backyard Landscapes Could Save Biodiversity
You have probably never thought of your property as a wildlife preserve representing the last chance we have to sustain plants and animals that were once common throughout the US. But that is exactly the role our suburban and urban landscapes are now playing – and will play even more in the near future.