The silent conversations of plants

How do plants communicate, and how does it differ from us?

Sven Batke, Associate Head of Research and Knowledge Exchange - Reader in Plant Science, Edge Hill University • conversation
Sept. 16, 2024 ~7 min

Flowers use adjustable ‘paint by numbers’ petal designs to attract pollinators

Flowers like hibiscus use an invisible blueprint established very early in petal formation that dictates the size of their bullseyes – a crucial pre-pattern

Cambridge University News • cambridge
Sept. 13, 2024 ~6 min


Sunflowers make small moves to maximize their Sun exposure − physicists can model them to predict how they grow

Plants don’t just grow straight up. They can move in loopy and zigzagging ways to get more sunshine. And studying these movements goes all the way back to Darwin in the 19th century.

Chantal Nguyen, Postdoctoral Associate at the BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Sept. 13, 2024 ~10 min

Wild ginseng is declining, but small-scale ‘diggers’ aren’t the main threat to this native plant − and they can help save it

There’s a widespread argument that ‘poachers’ are responsible for the scarcity of wild ginseng. But a scholar who has interviewed diggers explains that most of them are good stewards.

Justine Law, Associate Professor of Ecology and Environmental Studies, Sonoma State University • conversation
Sept. 13, 2024 ~10 min

Plants can grow in near-darkness, new research shows – here are three promising benefits

A study of Arctic microalgae could benefit everyone from farmers to astronauts.

Sven Batke, Lecturer in Biology, Edge Hill University • conversation
Sept. 11, 2024 ~6 min

The fascinating secrets of plant reproduction that scientists are still uncovering

New technology is helping scientists learn what happens inside plants when they reproduce.

Maurice Bosch, Reader in Plant Cell Biology , Aberystwyth University • conversation
Sept. 10, 2024 ~7 min

The amazing flowers growing in pavement cracks and why you shouldn’t pass them by

The flowers some people dismiss as weeds have evolved fascinating ways to survive harsh places.

Nienke Beets, PhD Candidate, Botany and Science Communication, Leiden University • conversation
Sept. 9, 2024 ~7 min

Utilities rely on dirty ‘peaker’ plants when power demand surges, but there are alternatives

As renewables account for a growing share of electricity supply, fossil fuel plants are increasingly used to balance fluctuations in renewable generation – emitting health-threatening pollutants.

Akshaya Jha, Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University • conversation
Sept. 5, 2024 ~9 min


Banana apocalypse, part 2 – a genomicist explains the tricky genetics of the fungus devastating bananas worldwide

Fusarium oxysporum can infect over 120 plant species. Whether it destroys Cavendish bananas as it did their predecessor depends on the agricultural industry and consumers.

Li-Jun Ma, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UMass Amherst • conversation
Aug. 16, 2024 ~6 min

Trees compete for space, light and resources, and those clashes can leave battle scars

For trees, growing to maturity involves much more than just reaching upward.

Wayne K. Clatterbuck, Professor Emeritus of Silviculture and Forest Management, University of Tennessee • conversation
Aug. 15, 2024 ~8 min

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