In an extraordinary display of biological resilience, moss spores survived for nine months outside the International Space Station. The spores were then returned to Earth, where 86 percent germinated and…
Category: News
A special shape shift helps a shrub thrive in blistering heat
From growing smaller leaves to shape-shifting its insides, a desert flowering plant goes all in to flourish in the harshest of conditions. Summer temperatures in Death Valley National Park frequently…
This flower smells like injured ants — and flies can’t resist it
A Japanese flower lures in its pollinators with a morbid perfume — the scent of injured ants. The unusual scent belongs to Vincetoxicum nakaianum, a recently named species of Japanese…
These ancient bumblebees were found with their pollen source
A telltale hint was on the bee’s knees. An analysis of 127 fossil flowers, flower buds and bees from central Germany revealed pollen particles that precisely matched ancient flowers to…
How dandelions rig the odds for catching upward gusts
It’s surprisingly difficult — by puffing from any one direction — to send all of a dandelion’s delicate white seed tufts wafting away from their stem. A clump almost always…
A grapevine bacteria may help douse wildfire-tainted wine’s ashy aftertaste
Grape plant bacteria might help mitigate smoke taint in wine by breaking down chemicals that evoke an ashy taste.
A newly discovered gene helped this moss defy gravity
Mosses may appear simple, but they’re far from fragile. They thrive in some of the harshest places on Earth — Antarctica, arid deserts, high mountain peaks and more. “We’ve long…
These plants build ant condos that keep warring species apart
Call them nature’s own luxury high-rise condo rentals. Squamellaria plants, from the same family as coffee and quinine, are fat aerial tubers perched high in tropical trees. In Fiji, one…
Potatoes have their roots in ancient tomatoes
The potato came from a surprising mashup. Spuds are a basic, delicious food for millions worldwide, yet their origin and evolution have long been a scientific mystery. Not anymore, scientists…
Climate change could separate vanilla plants and their pollinators
Vanilla plants could have a future that’s not so sweet. Wild relatives of the vanilla plant — which could be essential if the original cash crop disappears — may someday…
