Plants

Environment

Eco-friendly sunscreen? That’s bananas!

Bananas make their own natural sunscreens. A teen thinks these could work to protect our skin as well, while being safe for aquatic life.

Plants

Magnets mimic gravity’s guiding hand for plants growing in space

Without constant gravity, plants waste energy twisting and coiling, trying to reach toward the sun. Teen ISEF finalists might have found a solution.

Plants

For some trees, acting as lightning rods helps them survive

Being struck by lightning is usually bad. But for one tropical tree, a mighty zap can kill rivals and parasitic vines.

Plants

Let’s learn about plant movement

Some plants use their powers of superspeed to spread spores, while others use it to snatch up prey.

Plants

Scientists Say: Circumnutation

Plants are always on the move, their tips slowly waving in search of better light — a process called circumnutation.

Plants

Could trees ever get up and walk away?

In fantasy, trees can walk, climb and even fight. Real trees move, too. It just happens in extreme slow mo.

Plants

Microbes give plants a way to make ‘meaty’ nutrients

Enzymes from animals helped a test plant make two nutrients essential for a balanced diet. Normally, those nutrients would only be found in meat.

Chemistry

Let’s learn about chocolate

Humans have been making chocolate for millennia. Now scientists are investigating how to make this tasty treat more abundant and nutritious.

Plants

Plant and fungi parts help robots level up

Fusing machines with plants and fungi isn’t just sci-fi. A new generation of biohybrid devices could someday help in agriculture or energy production.

Plants

Explainer: How to identify tree species in the winter

No leaves to be found? Then buds, bark and branches might help you ID what tree you see.

Climate

Trees may be even bigger climate heroes than we thought

These plants absorb methane, a potent greenhouse gas, in addition to carbon dioxide. Methane’s uptake is likely thanks to microbes living in tree bark.

Plants

Catapulting pollen helps this flower beat out its rivals

With explosive blasts of pollen, male Hypenia macrantha flowers remove rival pollen from hummingbird beaks before the birds reach female flowers.