Celebrating Plants and People
-
Turning To Plants To Create Chewing Gum That Reduces Visits To Dentist
Plant cells have been used to produce monoclonal antibodies or antimicrobial peptides for topical applications to decrease colonization of pathogenic microbes on dental surface. Therefore, we investigated an affordable method for dental biofilm disruption by expressing lipase, dextranase or mutanase in plant cells via the chloroplast genome. (Click on title for full story)
-
We Cannot Count On Birds To Distribute Seeds Ahead Of Climate Change (study)
“As plants cannot move themselves, they require species like birds to disperse their seeds to new areas. We wanted to know how well migratory birds might be able to do this. We found that northward dispersal to cooler areas is done by only a small number of migratory bird species, some of which are under hunting pressure.” (Click on title for full story.)
-
Biomass’ Dirty Secret Of Pollution And Environmental Racism
Relying on biomass for energy has a punishing impact not only on the environment, but also on marginalized communities — perpetuating decades of environmental racism in predominantly Black communities (Click on title for full story)
-
Flowers Attract Bees With Humidity As Well As Color Or Scent
We know that different species of plants produce flowers that have distinct patterns of humidity, which differ from the surrounding air. Knowing that bees might use these patterns to help them find food shows that flowers have evolved a huge variety of different ways of attracting pollinators, that make use of all the pollinators’ senses.” (Click on title for full story.)
-
Finding Rare Orchids In The Most Unexpected Place: On A Roof
A colony of rare orchids has been discovered growing on the rooftop of an office building in the City of London. It is the first time the small-flowered tongue-orchid has been seen in the UK since arriving in Cornwall in 1989. (Click on title for full story.)
-
My Guitar Gently Weeps For The Tree Species Its Construction Drives To Extinction
Musicians are often concerned about environmental problems, but entangled in them through the materials used in their instruments. The guitar industry, which uses rare woods from old-growth trees, has been a canary in the coal mine—struggling with scandals over illegal logging, resource scarcity and new environmental regulations related to trade in endangered species of trees. (Click on title for fullstory.)
-
Planting More Trees To Halt Climate Change Is A Fools Errand
Instead of wasting money by planting lots of trees in a way that is destined to fail, it makes more sense to focus on keeping existing forests healthy so they can continue to act as carbon “sinks,” removing carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and storing it in trees and soils, according to the researchers. At the same time, emissions must be reduced as much as possible, as quickly as possible. (Click on title for full story.)
-
Tree Farts. A Global Menace. Yes,… Tree Farts
Found greenhouse gas emissions from standing dead trees in ghost forests—which the researchers charmingly describe as “tree farts”—do need to be accounted for when assessing the net environmental impact of these environmental changes. (Click on title for full story.)
-
Our Future Is Being Built On Lithium Batteries At The Expense Of Biodiversity And Clean Water
Fewer than 40 years after humans discovered Tiehm’s buckwheat, a Nevada plant with yellow flowers, they may drive it to extinction in pursuit of electric vehicles, a technology widely hailed as being environmentally friendly. (Click on title for full story)
-
Is Our Hunger For Houseplants Wiping Out Wild Species Worldwide?
Plant poaching is not new, nor is it unique to the area; but, pandemic-inspired houseplant purchases have exacerbated the issue worldwide. (Click on title for full story)