Random image

Celebrating Plants and People

  • The Many Benefits Of Producing Glass From Wood

    Not only would windows created out of this transparent wood be a lot less breakable than glass panes, they could also have cool properties such as semitransparency, where light would be let in but privacy would be maintained. And for solar cells, it could bring the cost of manufacture down and improve their footprint by replacing silica-based glass with wood, while still letting in plenty of light. (Click on title for full story.)

  • More May Not Mean Better. Have We Turned Our Crops Into Junk Food?

    Loading up soils with copious amounts of nitrogen fertilizer also has another downside. Faced with an all-you-can-eat buffet, that’s exactly what a plant’s green body sets out to do. They shunt a good deal of the energy they make through photosynthesis to building biomass, shortchanging themselves on the energy they need to make phytochemicals.10 Ramping down phytochemical production depletes a plant’s homemade arsenal and pharmacy, making them as vulnerable as a sick animal within sight of a predator. (Click on title for full story.)

  • Freezing Plants To Study Tundra Climate Change

    Global warming means much warmer winters in the Arctic, with more rain and icing. Researchers are working to understand what that will do to plants that have evolved to overwinter under a thick blanket of snow. (Click on title for full story.)

  • Climate Change Affects Maple Syrup

    The wild card is some other events that reacts with climate change that wipes out trees and then they can’t come back because the climate has moved north. (Click on title for full story.)

  • An Invasive Plant That Threatens Air Safety

    Acacia mearnsii grows quickly and spreads rapidly in our study area. The species can radically change local vegetation structure, such as converting grass-planting area into woodland, or even forest (if there are no control measures) with this single dominant species. In addition, woodland or forest could enhance bird abundance and increase the probability of bird strike events. (Click on title for full story.)

  • If You Don’t Eat Your Veggies A Spider Might

    Some spiders feed on leaves by digesting them with enzymes prior to eating, much as they do with meat. Others pierce a leaf with their chelicerae, then suck out plant sap. Still others, such as Bagheera kiplingi, drink nectar from special tissues. Called nectaries, these tissues are found in flowers and other plant structures. (Click on title for full story.)

  • There Was A Time When Most Life Forms Photosynthesized

    The picture that is starting to emerge is that during the first half of Earth’s history the majority of life forms were probably capable of photosynthesis. (Click on title for full story.)

  • Planting Trees In Arid Areas Actually Increases Ground Water Reserves

    In arid places where water is scarce, the planting of trees is often discouraged out of the belief that trees always reduce the availability of much-needed water. Yet scientists working in Burkina Faso found that when a certain number of trees are present, the amount of groundwater recharge is actually maximized. (Click on title for full story.)

  • Tropical Countries Mortgaging Ecosystems For Short Term Gains

    Deforestation is supported under the assumption that the countries are better off by engaging in agricultural activities. However, our findings show that this is not necessarily the case. This points to the urgency for tropical countries to rethink their land-use strategies. Without incorporating the environmental costs into international trade, deforestation beyond optimal levels will continue and may lead to serious environmental consequences. (Click on title for full story.)

  • Fairy Circle Mystery Finally Explained?

    Fairy circles, mysterious barren patches once known only in Namibia, have been discovered in Australia. And the discovery might help resolve the controversy over why fairy circles exist. (Click on title for full story.)