Scientists have developed an open-source instrument that can measure how much water plants have without hurting them, helping us understand plants better and use water for farming more wisely.
Author - Renata Cantoro
Renata Cantoro
Scientists Discover How New Caledonia Birthed Over 40 Unique Palm Species
Scientists used DNA to create a family tree of New Caledonia's unique palm trees and discover how they arrived on the islands over many millions of years through long distance travel and evolving to different...
Green Goldmine: The Surprising Role of Plants in Rare Earth Element Accumulation
By analysing herbarium specimens, scientists found new plants that take rare earth elements from the ground, which could help get more of these important metals in a more sustainable way.
When Moss Gets Messy and Spores Go Flying
Researchers found that a special kind of moss only release their spores when their pod structures open up in the dry air helped by wind, which blows the spores out, rather than just opening on its own in humid...
The Journey of a Tropical Plant Tribe from Africa to the Americas
Scientists used DNA to track how a group of tropical plants travelled across continents over millions of years and found that they were able to spread because they attracted a variety of animals to eat their fruits and...
Seaweed hitchhikers catch a ride on limpets
Scientists discovered that some invasive seaweed can travel from rocky shorelines out into seagrass beds by hitching rides on the backs of foraging limpets, helping the seaweed spread into new habitats and competing...
How Gene Duplication Led to the Evolution of Nectar Spurs
Scientists studied how genes are turned on and off during flower development in a group of plants with special spur structures on their flowers, finding evidence that duplication of a certain gene helped the evolution...
How Serapias Orchids Outsmart Self-Pollination
Scientists reveal how Serapias orchids ensure their cross-pollination through a special flower morphology interacting with pollinators in a particular manner, without the need for pollen masses changes as in many other...
Are Giant Tomatoes the Future of Climate-Resilient Crops?
Researchers in Brazil found a special part of tomato genome that controls the size of not just the fruit but also the leaves and stems. This discovery could help making tomato crops more resilient to different...
Unearthing the Hidden History of Ancient Agave Cultivation in the Southwest US and Mexico
Until recently, archaeologists had only a few clues about the importance of agaves to Southwest US and northern Mexico. But new research has revealed a hidden history of agave domestication in this region.
Subterranean Wonders: The Fascinating Resilience of African Geoxyles
Underground trees, a type of geoxyles occurring in Afrotropical savannas and grasslands, have unique and diverse ways of surviving in tough environments, according to recent research.
Red flowers, short stamens, and acetoin: the secret to attracting fungus gnats
Fungus gnats like red flowers with short stamens and a strong smell of acetoin, and scientists found that Euonymus plants have evolved these traits to attract these flies for pollination.
The role of floral scent in pollinator attraction
Scientists studied how the scents of a Solanaceae species vary and how they affect pollinator visitation and found that although floral perfume is an important factor, other signals might affect pollinators visits.
How Do Plants Remember Experiences?
Plants have an amazing ability to remember and adapt to different environments, which helps them survive and grow better, and scientists are using different scientific approaches to understand how this works, unlocking...
