Plants
- Plants
Saving the banana
A number of diseases threaten the world’s most popular fruit. Scientists are working to fight these blights. But if they don’t succeed, the sweet banana that’s a breakfast staple could disappear.
- Plants
Taking a long look at lichen
Lichens may not look like much, but they play a vital role in our ecosystems. ISEF finalist Madeline Handley decided learn more about the lichens in her native Alaska.
- Animals
Mosquitoes, be gone!
An extract of local seeds in Puerto Rico may be the key to keeping mosquitoes away. It kills the larval insects and repels the biting adults.
- Plants
Wily bacteria create ‘zombie’ plants
Scientists have discovered how some plant pathogens ensure their own survival by transforming flowering plants into strictly leaf-producing ones. These green ‘zombies’ attract insects that the parasites need to help them spread to other plants.
- Life
Caught in the act
Scientists observe some evolutionary speed demons as they adapt over the course of just a few years to new environmental conditions.
- Plants
Gold can grow on trees
Australian researchers found leafy nano-evidence pointing to rich deposits of the precious metal deep below ground.
- Plants
Old, cold moss grows again
Mosses are mini but mighty: Even after centuries buried beneath a glacier, some of these small, flowerless plants can regrow.
-
- Agriculture
Cool Jobs: Green Science
In parts of the Arctic, entire forests are creeping northward. Luckily, ecologist Serge Payette is hot on their trail.
-
- Climate
Iron versus climate change
Metal deposits can promote the growth of ocean algae that gobble greenhouse gas.
- Plants
Whale-free perfume
Tree gene trick is good news for people who like perfume made without sperm whale waste.
