Plants

Chemistry

This houseplant can clean indoor air

Houseplants may be able to help clean up polluted indoor air. Scientists gave this one a boost by givng it a gene from a rabbit.

Ecosystems

Rare-plant hunters race against time to save at-risk species

One in five plants is at risk of extinction. Meet the rare plant hunters who rappel down cliffs and trek through forests to save them.

Life

Scientists Say: Nectar

Nectar is a fluid filled with sugar that plants — especially flowers — produce. They use it to attract animals that will then spread their pollen to another plant.

Genetics

Plants don’t grow well when always on high alert

Plants make bitter-tasting chemicals to defend themselves against hungry bugs. But they pay a cost for always being on alert, scientists find.

Physics

The plant world has some true speed demons

Some plants can fling, snap and hop at dizzying speeds. Such botanical gymnastics gives lie to the idea that all plants are slow, boring stick-in-the-muds.

Chemistry

Ouch! Lemons and other plants can cause a special sunburn

These are among a host of plants (many found in the refrigerator vegetable drawer) that produce chemicals that will kill skin cells when activated by sunlight. The result can be a serious, localized sunburn — sometimes with blistering.

Physics

An ancient plant inspires a new lab tool

Researchers have designed a lab tool that moves liquids from one place to another by mimicking a plant called a liverwort.

Animals

Scientists Say: Invasive species

These are foreign species that are causing problems for native organisms and ecosystems.

Climate

Analyze This: Climate change could make food less healthy

Levels of important nutrients are lower in crops exposed to high levels of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. How high? Try levels expected to be typical 30 years from now.

Animals

Venus flytraps tend not to eat their pollinators

A first-ever study of what pollinates a Venus flytrap finds little overlap between the critters that serve as pollinators and those that are prey.

Animals

Blooms on ‘chocolate’ tree are crazy-hard to pollinate

The cacao trees must be pollinated or those seeds that give us chocolate will never form. The rub: The trees’ flowers challenge all but some of the tiniest pollen-moving insects.

Chemistry

Increasingly, chocolate-makers turn to science

Chocolate is delicious and may even have health benefits. To make sure there’s enough to go around, scientists are growing heartier cacao trees.