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Celebrating Plants and People

  • Orange Groves Threatened By Disease May Find Salvation In Wild Citrus

    Diaphorina citri, the insect that transmits the most serious threat to orange groves in Brazil and worldwide, is repelled by essential oils found in three species of Citrus (click on title for full story).

  • Garden Unkowingly Saves “Extinct” Tree

    Such a discovery when the trees in question are just shy of 100ft and in plain sight does sound rather odd. (Click on title for full story.)

  • Can This Scientist Make Peanuts Safe For Everyone?

    Dodo said peanuts have three proteins that cause the majority of the reactions. Her process removes nearly all traces from the seed, she said. The seed can grow into mature peanuts nearly free of allergens. (Click on title for full story.)

  • This Ancient Plant Will Not Compete Against Siblings

    In a low resource situation, the roots of Cycas micronesica refrain from competing with close relatives, according to research from the University of Guam published in Tropical Conservation Science. C. micronesica is an endangered cycad species that hails from several western Pacific Micronesian islands. The global population of cycad plants is facing increasing threats, yet many of the roughly 340 species have never been the subject of ecology or horticulture experimental work. (Click ontitle for full story.)

  • Fragrant Incense Trees Endangered By Poachers Seeking Riches

    Very few incense trees form agarwood, so they are often destroyed indiscriminately. On Lamma, a plaque marks a spot where three young trees were uprooted. A short scramble up a steep slope reveals a gorier scene: splintered woodchips are all that remain of an aged tree. Mr Yeung, the beekeeper, says “hunters” felled and butchered it in situ. As supplies diminish, the gangs are becoming more desperate. Thieves are raiding private gardens; some residents have begun organising patrols to frighten the thieves away. Alarms and monitoring cameras are being installed. (Click on title for full story.)

  • The Arctic’s Pollination Partnerships Are Unraveling Due To Climate Change

    That means that two-thirds of all insect species known from the area will actually visit this flowering species – showing just how important this single plant species is to the whole ecosystem. This overall diversity of flower visitors makes it even more surprising that a specific group of flies, and even a single species among these flies, turns out so important for the seed set of the plant. While exciting, the current findings also raise concerns. The very same flies which were found so important for avens are now declining in this region. Part of this decline may be due to an increasing temporal mismatch between flies and their flower resources. (Click on title for full story.)

  • Experience Climate Change As Music

    With data sonification, you can handle a lot more dimensions if you’re listening to data than looking at it, It’s useful for scientists on the one hand but on the other hand, the fact that you can take something like the data from 2,000 trees in Alaska and give someone a 20-second description of what that song is portraying and they pick it up (means) it has huge potential to share these narratives with people. (Click on title for full story.)

  • Beyond Pollen And Honey: Bees Receive Vital Gut Bacteria From Flowers

    What we’re learning is that … flowers are not just for food, but also transmitting bacteria that we think might help us,. We want to see how we can use those microbes to protect pollinator populations in the future. (Click on title for full story.)

  • Coffee Can Remove Lead And Mercury From Water

    Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the U.S., which makes for a perky population — but it also creates a lot of used grounds. Scientists now report an innovative way to reduce this waste and help address another environmental problem. They have incorporated spent coffee grounds in a foam filter that can remove harmful lead and mercury from water. (Click on title for full story.)

  • Can Algae Fill Our Voracious And Destructive Appetite For Shrimp?

    A technique for making fake, plant-based shrimp out of algae. The algae turns the shrimp red and is a powerful antioxidant. The srimp are shaped like regular shrimp, and even have the rubbery texture and faintly fishy taste of real shrimp. They are vegan, kosher, have zero cholesterol, and are safe to eat for people with shellfish allergies. (Click on title for full story.)