Plants

  1. Chemistry

    Scientists Say: Lignin

    This rigid polymer transports water and gives trees their strength.

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  2. Agriculture

    Crops are being engineered to thrive in our changing climate

    Plants are already the best carbon catchers on Earth. New research could make them even better.

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  3. Plants

    A single particle of light can kick off photosynthesis

    In a new experiment with bacteria, a lone photon sparked the process of turning light to chemical energy.

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  4. Plants

    Could a plant ever eat a person?

    For now, humans aren’t on the menu for carnivorous plants. But what would it take for one to consume a person?

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  5. Environment

    Fungi help rescue crops being harmed by microplastics

    Microplastics in the soil hinder plant growth. But two finalists at Regeneron ISEF found that fungi and farm waste can reduce the harm.

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  6. Environment

    Making yards more diverse can reap big environmental benefits

    Replacing grass with native plants uses less water and fewer chemicals while providing additional benefits to people and wildlife.

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  7. Ecosystems

    Scientists Say: Food web

    All the species in an ecosystem and the feeding relationships between them get summed up with this handy picture.

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  8. Plants

    Analyze This: Plants sound off when they’re in trouble

    When dry or cut, tomato and tobacco plants make sounds too high for humans to hear. Such sounds could provide a way to snoop on crops.

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  9. Plants

    Mimosa plant ‘muscles’ fold tickled leaves fast

    A mimosa plant uses special cells to close leaflets when bumped and then reopen them — again and again.

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  10. Archaeology

    Carvings on Australia’s boab trees reveal a people’s lost history

    Archaeologists and an Aboriginal family are working together to find and document a First Nations group’s lost ties to the land.

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  11. Chemistry

    Scientists Say: Rubisco

    Rubisco is a key protein in the process of photosynthesis, which feeds plants — and, in turn, us.

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  12. Chemistry

    Explainer: All about carbon dioxide

    Animals and other life on Earth exhale carbon dioxide, which plants use for photosynthesis. But too much of this gas can perturb Earth’s climate.

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