We generally think of plants as being forms of life that lack feelings and social interaction, but this may not be completely true! It has been found that plants are capable of exhibiting complex social behavior such as altruism towards related individuals but aggression towards strangers. In other...
There are many examples of beneficial relationships between two different species. One species helps another in return for a favor, much like how we humans interact with each other. What happens, however, when one party does not hold up their end of the deal? Humans retaliate to take revenge in sometimes...
Orchids inhabit six continents and nearly every habitat on Earth – a surprising accomplishment and evidence of amazing adaptive capabilities. What, you may ask, is the secret to their prowess? Reproductive success, according to Michael Pollan in an introduction to a new book by Christian Ziegler...
Say goodbye to artificial sweeteners and sour foods! New research has revealed the secret to creating the perfect taste of sweetness by understanding the science behind a certain “miracle fruit” that has the power to turn a sour taste into a sweet one.
This fruit was first discovered in...
Bahia, Brazil – located in the rural northeastern part of the country – holds one of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. There, around two years ago, handyman José Carlos Mendes Santos found a miniscule plant – one inch in height and with white and pink flowers.
Though Santos...
Washing your fruits and vegetables prior to consumption may not be sufficient to rid produce of pathogenic bacteria. According to a new study conducted at Purdue University, bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella can exist inside, as well as outside, the plant.
E. coli and Salmonella have...
For some plants, stress can actually help, rather than hurt, their chances of survival. By observing the effects of herbivorous stressors on Arbidopsis thaliana, a type of mustard plant, researchers at the University of Illinois have found a positive correlation between adverse conditions such as...
In East Africa, people have long employed the toxins of the Acokanthera schimperi tree to make poison arrows, which are particularly useful in hunting elephants. Researchers have now discovered that a small African rodent that typically weighs no more than two pounds has also learned to use the Acokanthera...
Due to their limited mobility, plants often depend on the assistance of pollinators. Attractively colored flowers and sweet fragrances are some common evolutionary adaptations through which plants increase their likelihood of attracting pollinators such as insects and birds.
We now have evidence...
Memory may not be a function of the brain alone. A rudimentary memory appears to exist even in the absence of a central nervous system.
In a new study conducted at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), researchers found that poplar clones, though genetically identical, can handle stress...
For years, scientists have observed that, since the genes of animals are passed from one generation to the next through gametes (sex cells) which do not have direct contact with the environment, an animal’s environment could not directly influence the DNA transferred from parent to progeny. With...
Although we typically use term biological warfare to describe human military operations, ours is not the only species to adopt such tactics. Plants too have evolved their own versions of biological warfare. To deliver our poisons we build bombs. Plants, by contrast, have adopted a subtler method:...
Having lived in Damascus, Syria for the past 10 months, a city widely believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited place on earth, I have become somewhat immune to seeing what are considered to be the most ancient and well preserved ruins in the world today.
A perfect example of this is...
Naturalists have long been fascinated by the incredible swathes and splotches of colors present on organisms ranging from plants to insects. Two years after Darwin published Origin of Species and forever changed science’s understanding of how such diversity arises, Henry Walter Bates proposed...
In some little girls’ fantasy world, their knight in shining armor comes to their door with a dozen red roses in hand to sweep them off their feet. After galloping off into the distance, they would arrive at the knight’s castle for a royal feast where the same perfect red roses would adorn the...
Have you ever heard the saying “beauty lies within?” Given that this aphorism typically describes an individual’s personality, we often do not think of a flower as having inner beauty. In fact, flowers employ their outer beauty as a tool during reproduction; so a flower’s “hidden beauty”...
Plant biologists have long known that plant roots and fungi can form symbiotic networks called mycorrhizae that allow plants to absorb and transfer nutrients to other plants in the network in exchange for carbon products the fungi need. However, a new study from South China Agricultural University...
As humans, we often concentrate on the wellbeing of our own species. Although plant biologists seem to take a slightly different approach to this matter, research that documents the relationship between plants and human health often receives significantly more press than those reporting on animal...
The summer following my sophomore year in High School, I was given the extraordinary opportunity of participating in a 10 week research program at the University of Wyoming-Laramie. Throughout my time there, I worked in the pharmaceutical department on a project that aimed to test the effects of crystal...
Biblical literature characterizes King Solomon as a symbol of power, wealth, wisdom, and royalty. Although Solomon’s lily, scientifically named Arum palaestinum, may not exhibit King Solomon’s traits of wealth or royalty, the flower does seem to demonstrate anthropomorphism with regard to the...
Much debate has transpired from the use of pesticides in crop cultivation. Some of the pesticides that farmers use have proven to be harmful to human health; however, these same substances deemed as “unsafe” play a major role in allowing farmers worldwide to produce enough food to sustain the...
April 26, 1986. A day that will live in infamy for the 14,000 or so residents of Chernobyl, Ukraine who witnessed their hometown turn into a nuclear disaster site in the aftermath of what is still considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history and the only level 7 event on the International...
Summer is almost over and hopefully it was one filled with fresh fruits and veggies. We’ve found a site that presents our favorite summer fare in an … unusual way. Check out this fantastic site to see movies made from MRI images of our favorite vegetables and fruits! [Thanks, Dr....
The Seed Cathedral in Shanghai, part of the World Expo 2010. Simply amazing.
The theme? People cannot live without plants!
Gallery of pictures: http://www.popsci.com/technology/gallery/2010-05/gallery-inside-seed-cathedral
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
….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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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!”...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
