Plants
This Tiny Fern Has the World's Largest Known Genome
The plant's genome has about 50 times as many base pairs as a human's, and its DNA from a single cell would stretch longer than a football field
Why Do Trees Drop So Many Seeds One Year, and Then Hardly Any the Next?
A new paper suggests that plants may use slow seed years to prevent the spread of disease
Scientists Uncover the Ancient Origins of Baobab Trees in Genetic Study
The trees originated in Madagascar 21 million years ago but later traveled long distances by way of ocean currents, according to new research
Where Do We Get Seeds for Seedless Fruit? And More Questions From Our Readers
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
An Ancient Maya Practice Could Be the Key to Growing Vegetables on Mars
Researchers are exploring whether intercropping—a technique of growing different types of plants in close proximity to one another—could be the secret to agriculture on the Red Planet
In a First, an Orangutan Healed His Own Wound Using a Known Medicinal Plant
The primate named Rakus chewed up yellow root and applied it to an open facial wound, closing the sore within days
Move Over, Cicadas: These Living Things ‘Go Dark’ For a Long Time, Too
From frogs to orchids, many organisms go dormant or move underground for lengthy stints
The English Farmers Who Harvest Rhubarb by Candlelight
The secret to the world’s sweetest rhubarb? Sealed sheds, total darkness and a little old-fashioned flair
How Rapa Nui Lost a Tree, Only to Have It Sprout Up Elsewhere
Before the toromiro disappeared from the island, at least two men grabbed seeds from the last remaining plant and brought them home
Alaska's Frigid North Slope Was Once a Lush, Wet, Dinosaur Hotspot, Fossils Reveal
Conditions north of the Arctic Circle, where dinosaurs roamed in abundance during the mid-Cretaceous, were warmer than today, with rainfall comparable to “modern-day Miami”
These Researchers Are Digging Into the Understudied Science of Roots
After centuries of neglect, botanists are using new techniques to understand roots
This High Schooler Invented an A.I.-Powered Trap That Zaps Invasive Lanternflies
Using solar power, machine learning and her family’s patio umbrella, 18-year-old Selina Zhang created a synthetic tree that lures the destructive species
Romans Stored Hallucinogenic Seeds in a Vial Made From an Animal Bone
Ancient scholars wrote about the medicinal, poisonous and psychoactive properties of black henbane seeds
Rare Fossil Shows Trees Looked Very Different 350 Million Years Ago
The newly discovered specimen looks like something from the imagination of Dr. Seuss, and it sheds light on a little-understood era of prehistory
Prehistoric Chewing Gum Reveals Diet, Oral Health of Stone Age Teenagers
From preserved DNA, researchers identified which plants and animals the young people would have eaten or used for making clothing—and they found one case of a severe gum infection
See 11 Winning Images From the Close-Up Photographer of the Year Awards
Focused on little details of animals and plants, these stunning shots spotlight the world’s tiny wonders
Could Sinking Tons of Seaweed to the Ocean Floor Help Combat Climate Change?
Submerged seaweed can store carbon at the bottom of the sea, but how effective the strategy will be remains unclear
Seven Scientific Discoveries From 2023 That Could Lead to New Inventions
Biologists learned lots about animals and plants this year, and their findings could inspire better robots, medicine and environmental technologies
Once Thought to Be Plants, These Rare Fossils Are Actually Baby Turtles, Scientists Say
The prehistoric specimens found in Colombia could represent one of the oldest and largest turtle species to ever exist
This Desert Plant's Salty 'Sweat' Can Collect Water From the Air
The athel tamarisk's hydration trick could improve on human techniques to harvest water in dry environments, researchers say
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