-
+13 +2
One-third of the food we eat is at risk because the climate crisis is endangering butterflies and bees | CNN
Bee populations are declining. More than half of the bat species in the United States are in severe decline or listed as endangered. And international scientists recently announced the monarch butterfly is perilously close to extinction.
-
+18 +1
Genetically engineered rice needs less fertilizer, makes more food
Nitrogen fertilizer is made from natural gas. Extracting and burning natural gas is harming life on our planet, so we should probably stop doing it (or at least try to cut back considerably). But food crops, like all plants, need that nitrogen. It’s quite the conundrum, especially since the human population relying on those crops is slated to grow over the next few decades, while the acreage of arable land is slated to drop.
-
+24 +4
These are the first plants grown in moon dust
For a plant, that's one modest stem, but for plant science, it's a big leap. The first seedlings ever seeded in lunar dirt have sprouted in a tiny, lab-grown garden. This little crop, which was sown in Apollo mission samples, gives hope that astronauts would be able to cultivate their own food on the moon in the future.
-
+13 +1
'It blew us away': Marine scientists amazed to find world's biggest plant growing on our doorstep
Genetic tests have revealed that a seagrass meadow in WA's Shark Bay is actually a giant clone of itself, and is estimated to be at least 4,500 years old.
-
+16 +2
Genetically modified tomatoes contain more vitamin D, say scientists
Scientists have found a way to edit the genetic makeup of tomatoes to become a robust source of vitamin D. A research team at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK, have been working on the newly designed tomatoes to help people receive appropriate amounts of the vital vitamin.
-
+19 +6
How Fast-Growing Algae Could Enhance Growth of Food Crops
A team including Professor Niall Mangan and researchers from Princeton University used computer modeling to identify the necessary features to support enhanced carbon fixation by an organelle called the pyrenoid, found in green algae, providing a blueprint for engineering this structure into crop plants.
-
+15 +2
Meet Botany’s Badass, Shit-Talking Star
Joey Santore’s YouTube channel, Crime Pays but Botany Doesn’t, crosses citizen science with vigilante environmentalism
-
+10 +3
Wildflower believed to be extinct for 40 years spotted in Ecuador
Gasteranthus extinctus had been presumed extinct after extensive deforestation
-
+21 +3
A Startup Is Engineering Trees to Grow Faster and Capture More Carbon
Genetic engineering has given scientists the power to manipulate fundamental properties of living things, from humans to animals to plants. In plants, genetic tweaks have brought all manner of advancements, namely higher crop yields. The technology hasn’t been used much on trees, but that may be about to change; as climate change alarm bells clang, scientists and engineers are looking for any possible way to draw more carbon out of the atmosphere...
-
+13 +2
Mistletoe – famous for stolen holiday kisses – is a parasite that steals water and nutrients from other plants
This evergreen plant has some tricky ways to get ahead, but it’s a valuable part of the ecosystem.
-
+7 +3
The tomatoes at the forefront of a food revolution
As global temperatures increase and extreme weather events become more common, can gene editing help to tweak our food plants so they can cope with the changes?
-
+20 +3
How biodiversity loss is jeopardising the drugs of the future
From willow bark to mosquitoes, nature has been a source of vital medications for centuries. But species die-off caused by human activity is putting this at risk
-
+13 +3
Crops grow better in Mars soil when given good bacteria, study finds
Uber Eats deliveries to Mars are going to be expensive, so the first colonists of the Red Planet will need to figure out how to grow their own food locally. A new study has shown that dosing plants with symbiotic bacteria can drastically improve their growth in barren Mars-like soil.
-
+14 +2
480 million-year-old fossil spores from Western Australia record how ancient plants spread to land
When plants started growing on land, they changed the world. Ancient fossil spores hint at how and when they did it.
-
+12 +3
Seemingly harmless plant is a carnivore with flowers that eat insects
A plant that grows in bogs along the west coast of North America has been spotted using its flowers to eat insects – until now, researchers had no idea it was carnivorous
-
+4 +1
Plant DNA found for the first time in animals, bizarre study reveals
A seemingly unthreatening bug feeds on a plant that produces deadly toxins. An extremely rare gene crossover event occurs. The insect then acquires DNA from the plant and becomes a superbug, terrorizing people all over the globe.
-
+13 +6
This Forest School Will Be Built in India With an Infinity Cycling Track on Its Roof
In India, the city of Pune, three hours by road from Mumbai, is densely populated and has seen substantial urban growth in the last decade. This has led to worsening air quality as the level of pollutants now regularly exceeds World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
-
+18 +5
Scientists Discover The First Known Algae Species With Three Distinct Sexes
Although we might think of ourselves as far removed from blobby green algae, we're not really that different.
-
+12 +2
Scientists have just discovered that plants can tell the time
Did you know that plants, like humans, have an ‘internal clock’?
-
+19 +2
The brilliance of brown lawns: why your grass shouldn’t always be greener
Watering our gardens is wasteful and mowing them a nightmare for biodiversity. So is it time to embrace long, brown grass or more radical options such as patchwork lawns?
Submit a link
Start a discussion