Plants

  1. Plants

    Why dandelions are so good at widely spreading their seeds

    Individual seeds on a dandelion release most easily in response to winds from a specific direction. As the wind shifts, this scatters the seeds widely.

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  2. Plants

    Scientists Say: Fruit

    Some foods usually called vegetables — such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers — are actually fruits.

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  3. Animals

    Several mammals use a South American tree as their pharmacy

    Researchers in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest stumbled onto something very strange. They watched as animals “doctored” themselves with products from a tree.

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  4. Plants

    No sun? No prob! A new process might soon grow plants in the dark

    Teamwork makes green-work! Collaborating scientists came up with an electrifying farming trick that could make sunlight optional.

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  5. Plants

    This pitcher plant lures insects into underground deathtraps

    Scientists didn’t expect the carnivorous, eggplant-shaped pitchers to be sturdy enough to grow embedded in the soil.

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  6. Plants

    Catnip’s insect-repelling powers grow as Puss chews on it

    Damaging the leaves boosts the plant’s chemical defenses — and their appeal to cats.

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  7. Space

    The first plants ever grown in moon dirt have sprouted

    This tiny garden shows farming on the moon may be difficult, although not impossible.

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  8. Plants

    Some redwood leaves make food while others drink water

    The two types of leaves grow at different heights in trees at dry versus wet areas. They may help redwoods adapt to climate change.

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  9. Plants

    Electric shocks act like vaccines to protect plants from viruses

    To protect crops against viruses in their home country of Taiwan, two teens invented a novel approach to fight blights.

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  10. Plants

    More than 9,000 tree species may be waiting to be discovered

    Scientists estimated how many tree species are on Earth, an important step for forest conservation and protecting biodiversity.

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  11. Life

    Explainer: Cells and their parts

    Life as we know it depends on the coordination of structures inside cells — whether a living thing has only a single cell or trillions of them.

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  12. Environment

    Bees and butterflies struggle to find flowers in polluted air

    Emissions from cars and trucks make it harder for insects to find flowers. That in turn reduces flower visits and pollination, a new study finds.

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