Not Science Fiction – The Peculiar Sex Lives of Orchids
A global database of pollination data for almost 3000 orchid species. A recent study published in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society utilized a…
Botany News
“The Most Dramatic Evolutionary Biogeography Story I’ve Ever Seen” – Plant Fossils Reveal Ancient South America-to-Asia “Escape Route”
Newly discovered fossils in Argentina provide evidence that changes in climate and geography may have compelled a well-known species of spurge plants to migrate from…
Ancient California Fossil Unlocks Secrets of Coffee and Potato Ancestors’ Survival Amid Dinosaur Extinction
An ancient 80-million-year-old fossil plant rewrites the history of lamiids, revealing that these flowering plants, including staple crops, evolved earlier than previously believed and suggesting…
How Two “Touch-Me-Not Plants” Plants Fooled Scientists for Decades
Sometimes, scientists can be too ‘Impatiens‘ when naming species Nestled in the center of the world’s deepest valley are two plants that have confounded scientists…
Surprising Study Finds Watching TV Is Good for the Planet
A new paper in the scientific journal Annals of Botany, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that watching nature documentaries makes people more interested in…
New Type of Symbiotic Relationship Discovered Between Algae and Fungi
Researchers from the Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, described the symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae which science has largely overlooked until now….
How Modern Agriculture Turned a Wild Plant Into a Problematic Weed
New research has discovered that agriculture is causing rapid evolutionary changes not only on farms but also in wild species in adjacent areas. An international…
100-Year-Old Paleontology Mystery Solved: Yale Scientists Uncover How Ancient Plants Adapted To Land
A recent study has solved a longstanding mystery in paleontology, revealing how early plants were able to transition from aquatic environments to land through changes…
Research Shows Gravitational Action of Sun and Moon Influences Behavior of Plants and Animals
Research conducted at the University of Campinas in Brazil was driven by observations of fluctuations in autoluminescence caused by seed germination in cycles regulated by…
Meet the “Extinct Species” That Was Just Rediscovered After 200 Years
Extinct species rediscovered in Winterhoek mountains, South Africa, after 200 years. Last seen in 1804, psoralea cataracta was rediscovered by Brian du Preez, a Ph.D….
New Species of Flea Beetle Discovered, Burumoseria Yuae
Researchers detail the discovery of a new species of flea beetle, Burumoseria yuae. Nausea, vomiting, and weakness are but a few of the symptoms one…
Human Obsession With Orchids Goes As Far Back As Roman Times
A careful study of ancient artifacts in Italy has pushed back the earliest documented appearance of orchids from the Renaissance to Roman times. The orchid’s…
Scientists Reconstruct Ancient Permian Ecosystem from Ash-Covered Plants
Paleoecologists have reconstructed a Permian-era swampy forest, filled with long-extinct plant species, thanks to analyses of well-preserved fossils entombed in a layer of volcanic ash…
Humans Implicated in Africa’s Deforestation 3,000 Years Ago
A new study published in the journal Science suggests that humans might have played a significant part in the sudden deforestation of rainforests from Central…
