Ever since I was a child, I have had an extreme phobia of insects. Some children are afraid of snakes, others of dogs, but for me it was always the droning sound of an insects wings flapping near a light in my house that got me into true panic mode. From cockroaches to spiders and everything else...
Last week, I wrote an article about how subterranean insects use plants as telephonic devices to communicate with their above ground counterparts. I concluded that it is truly amazing to know that the basis behind some of the technologies we as humans pride ourselves on inventing today have existed...
A new system to fight frost on plants incorporates radio frequency technology. The radiant heating system, developed by Raytheon Technology, serves as a more efficient way to heat crops and prevent frost. Without heating the air between it and the plants, the Tempwave system delivers energy to the...
In the year 1844, an Italian man by the name of Innocenzo Manzetti first came up with the idea of a “speaking telegraph”. More than a century and a half later, cellular telephones have come to dominate the way humans communicate with one another. I remember growing up as a kid watching the once...
The discovery of an efficient method of sequencing DNA genomes has been one of the most important biological breakthroughs of this era. It has led to an exponential increase in finding ways of treating genetic disorders in humans as well as discovering the means of preventing infection by sequencing...
Everyday our society makes new advances in technology. Computers, cell phones and cameras manage to be made smaller each time that a new model arrives on the market. Not only have technologies that benefit our social or business lives reduced in size, but medicine also seems to be following this...
“Don’t forget to eat your vegetables, honey!” How many of us can say, without hesitation, that we have heard such a command from our mothers every day about half way through dinner? Either my mother is the most enthusiastic vegetable cheerleader on the planet, or this seems to be a common trait...
Over the course of the year, we have talked a lot about rice; it’s an eye opening phenomenon for me to think of how much research is conducted over one crop. There are new problems being diagnosed and fixed constantly to help increase rice yield. For example, a recent study shows that a single...
Amputation is one of the most mentally and physically trying experiences an individual would ever have to go through. In extreme cases, however, amputation often becomes necessary as a last resort for those with extensive gangrene, infection, or other extreme wounds.
If a doctor feels that...
The Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen German Research Center for Environmental Health has been researching the genetic sequence of the African plant Sorghum, commonly known as milo. According to Dr. Klaus Mayer, the center is focusing the study on this particular species because, as a C4 plant, its analysis...
With the bringing of a new year and a new president, legislation is changing in Washington these days at a tremendous pace. Perhaps any day now, we are expected to see a unilateral lift of the previous bans on embryonic stem cell research enforced by the previous administration. In doing so, many...
Have you ever questioned why you spend countless hours planting flowers in the spring only to have to re-plant them again next year? For those flower-enthusiasts who do not wish to uproot their garden annually, perennial plants, which survive for several years, are ideal; however, new research conducted...
Some additional perspective on yesterday’s story.
About a month ago, I remember reading an article in either Time or Newsweek magazine that dealt with the issue of the average life expectancy of humans around the world. In the list that they compiled of the over 200 or so countries on...
As a botanist, my mother has always understood the immense beneficial effect of having houseplants. She sometimes took this a little too far by effectively turning our front porch into a mysterious jungle that naturally formed a haven for a diverse plethora of unwanted insects to buzz inches away...
Two weeks ago, we talked about how scientists have discovered the proteins and promoter sequences in plants responsible for the growth of root offshoots. Well, it seems like science today is moving forward as fast as technology does.
Pankaj Dhanukshe, a researcher from Ultrecht University,...
Every summer I look forward to 3 things: A nice vacation, weekend camp-outs, and strawberry season. Who knew that while I was gorging myself on those delightful red berries that researchers around the world were using strawberry genes to make a breakthrough in plant biology.
As one of their...
A fundamental problem that arises with all of life on earth is allocating a limited number of resources over the entire span of a population. Since the dawn of humanity, this has been the source of countless wars and conflicts that have resulted in the tragic deaths of many and the injury of countless...
New studies conducted on plant mating have concluded that humans may not be the only species rejected by the opposite sex. According to researchers from the University of Missouri, pollen proteins may contribute to a signaling process that determines if a female plant accepts or rejects certain pollen...
[* Are you visiting our site from Facebook? Welcome to Greenseedling! Here, you'll find the latest news stories from the exciting (yes!) world of plants! Plants have quite a few surprises up their, er, leaves. Need proof? Check out Usman's story on plant communication...
Last summer, while sitting with my 8 year old cousin on a lazy Sunday afternoon, we both watched as my mother cut us all a various assortment of fruit as she routinely does and my cousin asked, “Why are fruits the only thing that are good for us and that taste delicious? I love candy and fries but...
Perhaps the most fundamental unifying feature of all of life on earth is the immense ability of our planet’s various life forms to adapt to the most extreme of conditions. Even in seemingly barren regions of the world, scientists have been hard pressed to find even a single area that fails to...
As summer nears its end and we proceed into the more pleasant days of autumn, one can’t help but notice the drastic climatic and physical changes that naturally ensue during this transitional period. Perhaps the most inspiring of these changes is so characteristic of autumn that it has led many...
