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Water, without it we simply can’t survive
Posted by Usman in Environment, Featured Articles, Research, Strange But True on 02 24th, 2010 | No Comments
When we made the transition a little over a decade ago from the nineteenth to the twentieth century, many believed that we were finally closing the door on one of the most notably problematic and violent centuries in world history. Not only were two major World Wars fought during this period, but major...
No Electrical Outlet? Try a Cactus!
You may have heard of solar power, but what about harnessing power via photosynthesis? Controlled by humans, solar panels can generate electrical power through photovoltaic cells. As opposed to solar panels, photosynthesis employs only the natural sources of plants and the sun to convert solar...
Justice: Plant Style
The principle of “an eye for an eye” found in the Code of Hammurabi of ancient Babylonian origin has been understood by anthropologists and other social scientists as being a peculiar characteristic of human social interaction for centuries. Although it may seem that we are the only species of life...
The Phenomena of Whispering Leaves
In many of my previous articles, I have often discussed the rather interesting phenomenon of plant communication. While this is undoubtedly an amazing testament to the inherent complexity of plant life, evolutionarily, the ability for plants to be able to communicate with one another is more of a pragmatic...
Almonds Never Tasted So Toxic
If asked to identify three poisonous entities that can be found in nature, what first comes to mind? A snake? A spider?
How about an almond tree? Although almonds may have many health benefits associated with their consumption, the nectar of an almond tree actually has quite the opposite effect.
After...
Plants in Disguise
Animals in the wild have many ways of warding off predators. Whether they warn predators through bright coloration, escape danger by changing locations, or use camouflage to blend into their environment, animals seem to have better alternatives than plants to avoid predation. Since plants are grounded...
Hands Off the Violet!
As a child, I always wondered why my grandmother never approved of people picking or touching the flowers that surrounded my grandparents’ house. From Texas bluebonnets to Indian paintbrushes and black-eyed susans, her flowerbeds never failed to display of almost every color known to mankind, but...
Arson or Mother Nature’s self-defense?
The motivation for most, if not all of wars is to accumulate resources for the aggressing nation’s or peoples’ benefit. A competition of resources is a motif that has been widely observed in the animal community. Surprisingly, a recent study in the December 2009 issue of The American Naturalist...
Pitcher plants – toilets of the forest?
In the effort to preserve our planet’s natural resources, societies all over the world have promoted the idea of “going green.” For some, this may mean carpooling to work or using re-usable, cloth grocery bags, but for tree shrews, “going green” has a more literal connotation.
According to...
Public Transportation: Not Always the Environment’s Friend
Posted by Sarah in Environment, Featured Articles, Health, Strange But True on 10 19th, 2009 | No Comments
Before taking your bike out for a joy ride on the same route that your bus travels, you may want to reconsider, or better yet, consult the nearest…tree?
A recent study, by scientists at Western Washington University in Bellingham, has uncovered that the leaves of trees may be very helpful in detecting...
Tattoos: No Longer Just a Form of Artistic Self-Expression
While making my weekly trip to the grocery store, I always tell myself that I will make this trip quicker than the last, but one section of the store never fails to ruin my goal for speediness – the produce section.
Unlike other food aisles, the produce section requires a little more effort than just...
Red Leaves in America: not just patriotic plants
In Europe, the tree leaves appearing during the Autumn season are predominantly yellow, whereas in America they are mostly red. Why? An article recently published in New Phytologist attempts to solve this mystery. The fact that plants produce anthocyanin, a pigment that causes leaves to appear red once...
Plants Use Camouflage Too!
Posted by Pallavi in Environment, Featured Articles, Strange But True on 07 23rd, 2009 | No Comments
Plants use a plethora of defense mechanisms to protect themselves from predators and harsh environmental conditions. They have hardwired physical and chemical defenses such as pointy leaves in cacti, thorns on rose bushes, and poisonous leaves on poison ivy. They also have adapted to include defenses...
The Spectacular Debut of Snow Roots
Posted by Deepa in Environment, Featured Articles, Research, Strange But True on 06 18th, 2009 | No Comments
….brought to you by Evolution
The C. Conorhiza plant lives high in the Caucasus Mountains, which are nestled between the Black and Caspian Seas. A recent study in “Ecology Letters” reveals how C. Conorhiza plants thrive in the Caucasus Mountains, despite freezing temperatures at high altitudes.
A...
Who says you can’t be cozy while you eat?
Posted by Usman in Environment, Featured Articles, Research, Strange But True on 04 29th, 2009 | No Comments
A few years ago when my parents were thinking about purchasing a new home, I remember sitting down with a home builder who was showing off some of the state-of-the-art custom features he had recently installed in a few of his latest projects. Among these features, the most interesting (and perhaps most...
Preventing the Bacterial Genocide of Rice
Posted by Amar in Featured Articles, GM Foods, Research, Strange But True on 04 28th, 2009 | No Comments
Two of the most harmful diseases that plague rice across the world are caused by bacteria. The first disease, bacterial blight, can reduce yield by 50%, and the other, though not as damaging as bacterial blight, can cause bacterial leaf streak. However, bacterial leaf streak is becoming more prominent...
A “Firry” Lung?
From my childhood, I can vividly recall the days that the school cafeteria would serve watermelon. As opposed to the regular peaches in syrup, watermelon offered a fresh alternative, as well as lunchtime entertainment. From nearly every cafeteria table echoed the same challenge: “I dare you to eat...
Thirsty Plants Like to Text
Young people these days seem to get a bad rap for texting far too much for their own good. However, if most people are like me, quite a few of incoming and outgoing text messages are invitations, rejections, or acceptances to go get food together. Text messaging is also convenient if you are in class,...
Making the Moon a More Colorful Place
In July of 1969, when Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, the United States won the “race to space.” As Armstrong planted the American flag onto the moon’s surface, he said, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind;” but nearly forty years later, the focus is...
Electric Plants
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 in...
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Arabidopsis thaliana?
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 acclaimed...
Start Your Coconuts!
Hearing the word coconut brings a variety images, scents and tastes to one’s mind. Some may recall their mother’s freshly baked coconut cookies or an oversized slice of coconut cream pie, while others remember the scent of their favorite body lotion or the taste of coconut water; but rarely do people...
Is That a Hair in My Salad?!?
Have you ever watched a beautician or barber clean up the floor after your haircut? Some sweep the discarded locks of hair into a nearby dustpan, while others push the hair into a vacuum nestled into the baseboard; but the ultimate question still stands – Where does of all of this hair really...
Forget Shingles, Plant a Garden on the Roof Instead!
Have you ever worked outside in your flowerbed on a day when the sun never seems to disappear into the clouds? As you dig up old plants and replace the empty spots in the soil with fresh flowers you think to yourself, “If this shade tree wasn’t here, I might just pass out from exhaustion!” Well...
Bacteria Aid in Production of Perfume Oil
Recently, while browsing my local department store, a perfume salesperson offered me a sample of the season’s latest fragrance. While handing me the perfume-spritzed ribbon, she described the story behind this particular scent.
“On a lovely spring morning, farmers are sent out to a field of roses...
Pumpkins, Pumpkins and More Pumpkins!
Happy Halloween! Every year as October 31st approaches, children, teenagers and adults alike gather to select the finest pumpkins from the patch to place on display for trick-or-treaters. Whether this orange fruit remains whole or is carved into a jack-o’-lantern, pumpkins seem to always play a major...
“Hey! You Stole My Virus!”
Parents constantly encourage their children to share – share toys, share books, share crayons. However, while children are constantly being told to share their treasures, they are NEVER encouraged to dole out such commodities as orange juice, socks, and half-eaten pb&js. While these rules may...
Red Algae Gives New Meaning to Waterproof Sunscreen
A fish, a sea star, and an algae plant are drifting along the ocean floor. The fish says to the sea star, “Wow! It sure is hot and sunny today!”
Before the sea star can even “bubble up” a reply the algae is quick to say, “I know! Look at my hideous sunburn!”
While a fish, a sea star and...
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