Dying Trees Can Send Food to Neighbors of Different Species via ‘Wood-Wide Web’
No tree is an island, and no place is this truer than the forest
"plants"
Fern Frozen in Time by Volcanic Flow Reveals Stunning Detail
It defies belief, but a 180 million year old fern fossil unearthed in Sweden is so exquisitely preserved that it is possible to see its cells dividing.
Using bacteria to help prevent soil erosion – guest post from the iGEM Regional Champions
This is a guest post from a member of the iGEM competition team from Imperial College London. They recently won the iGEM regional championships and will be going to Boston in November to compete for the Worldwide Championships...
In Darkened Forests, Ferns Stole Gene From an Unlikely Source — and Then From Each Other
Scientists knew neochrome was odd before they started rooting around in its family tree. A union of independent proteins — red-sensing phytochrome and blue-sensing phototropin — the super-protein combines two already-great pieces into one fantastic whole that helps plants grow toward dim, filtered light...
![The Other Orchid Thief: Virus Ravages the Popular Flower [Slide Show]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/F83FB0A3-6B52-4619-AD27E9336336BE9E_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
The Other Orchid Thief: Virus Ravages the Popular Flower [Slide Show]
Once the province of high society, orchids have found their way into households worldwide, but so has a plant-killing batch of viruses plaguing nurseries
![The Plant Kingdom's Most Unusual Talents [Slide Show]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/7721A6A4-57DB-41B1-B9625692303FE5AF_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
The Plant Kingdom's Most Unusual Talents [Slide Show]
Plants do not just laze about, soaking up rays. They shift around, hunt, eat, attack--and defend themselves
Tiny Ocean Plants Geoengineer Brighter Clouds
Marine life seems to create a reflective sunshade above the Southern Ocean
Bionic Plants Offer Superpowered Photosynthesis
Rebuilding plants into bionic superpowered energy photosynthesizers—we have the nanotechnology
![Blood Clots Are Ready for Their Close-Up [Slide Show]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/8880888A-DEA1-4C2E-ABCE3108E5A15D94_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Blood Clots Are Ready for Their Close-Up [Slide Show]
A new cutting-edge computer simulation of clot formation could improve treatments for stroke and heart attacks
![Day-to-Day Satellite Photos Reveal the Unfolding Crisis at the Nuclear Power Plant in Japan [Slide Show]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/CCBB1495-E1E5-4590-837894F01AE6DFB6_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Day-to-Day Satellite Photos Reveal the Unfolding Crisis at the Nuclear Power Plant in Japan [Slide Show]
Aerial views of the damage at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant from March 12 to March 17 show signs of the chaotic sequence of events ranging from explosions to fires
For These Plants, No Victim Is Too Small
The tropical plant Genlisea is a tiny, homely rosette of simple green leaves. If you dig up its roots, you will find what look like an unremarkable bunch long, pale underground roots.
Flower Power: Collaboration Keeps Rare Plant off the Endangered Species List
Fifteen years ago the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) acknowledged that a rare plant called the Georgia aster (Symphyotrichum georgianum) deserved and needed protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)...
Suspicious Virus Makes Rare Cross-Kingdom Leap From Plants to Honeybees
When HIV jumped from chimpanzees to humans sometime in the early 1900′s, it crossed a gulf spanning several million years of evolution.
How the Mosses That Got Run Over By a Glacier Survived Their Ordeal
A few months ago, scientists revealed that some plucky mosses in Canada managed to do something long thought impossible: survive a 400-year close encounter with the business end of a glacier, and live to sprout another day...
Facing the Freshwater Crisis
As demand for freshwater soars, planetary supplies are becoming unpredictable. Existing technologies could avert a global water crisis, but they must be implemented soon
![In Deep Water: Will Essential Ocean Currents Be Altered by Climate Change? [Slide Show]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/7B0EBD53-C6F0-4922-B1368F457BC4CBA3_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
In Deep Water: Will Essential Ocean Currents Be Altered by Climate Change? [Slide Show]
Scientists are struggling to get a grasp on the huge volumes of water flowing through the world's oceans
Botanical Sexism Cultivates Home-Grown Allergies
It's the time year for watery eyes and itchy noses, and if you're among the afflicted, you may be surprised to learn that decades of botanical sexism in urban landscapes have contributed to your woes...
Did Climate Shocks Shape Human Evolution? [Video]
In a video, noted scientists debate the connections between ancient climate changes and the emergence of modern human traits.
An Eye-Popping New Look at Flowers’ Highly Public Private Parts
People who lack the gardening bug often regard flowers like fashion models: pretty but boring. Jens Petersen, the man who gave us the groundbreaking photographs of fungi in “The Kingdom of Fungi”, which I reviewed here in March, has a new book of photographs (still available only in Danish, unfortunately, and called Blomsterliv — “Flower [...]..
Japan Could Lose 561 Plant Species by the Next Century
A massive new study of Japan’s native plants reveals an extinction crisis in the making. The study examined 1,618 threatened Japanese vascular plant species, most of which can be only be found in extremely limited ranges and many of which already face shrinking populations...
