Plants

  1. Plants

    Poppy yields the final secret to making morphine

    Scientists have successfully transplanted most of the morphine synthesis pathway from poppies to yeast. Now the final step is ready to be put in place.

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  2. Plants

    Beauty drives orchids towards extinction

    Dozens of species of Asian slipper orchids have been newly classified as threatened or endangered, their numbers driven low by illegal trade.

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  3. Animals

    Could the dinos of ‘Jurassic World’ become invasive?

    Even if they escaped their island home, the giant reptiles of ‘Jurassic World’ probably wouldn’t survive on the mainland. But the movie’s plants are another story.

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  4. Plants

    Fifty years ago, ethylene research ripened

    In 1965, scientists realized ethylene was the molecule that ripens fruit.

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  5. Plants

    The art and science of the hedgerow

    Spiky hawthorn trees have found many uses despite their unforgiving nature, Bill Vaughn writes in ‘Hawthorn.’

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  6. Animals

    A summer challenge: Observe nature

    Opportunities for observing nature are plentiful, no matter where you live.

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  7. Plants

    How slow plants make ridiculous seeds

    Coco de mer palms scrimp, save and take not quite forever creating the world’s largest seeds.

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  8. Plants

    Medfly control methods were ready for pest’s influx

    50 years ago, researchers prepared to greet Mediterranean fruit flies with sterile males.

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  9. Plants

    A protein battle underlies the beauty of orchids

    The petal-and-lip shape that draws pollinators to orchids results from a competition between two protein complexes, a new study finds.

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  10. Plants

    Bits of bacterial DNA naturally lurk inside sweet potatoes

    Samples of cultivated sweet potatoes worldwide carry DNA from Agrobacterium cousin of bacterium used for GMOs.

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  11. Plants

    From lemons to kumquats, roots of citrus variety dug up

    Citrus fruits’ lineage is traced through chloroplast DNA, revealing both maternal and paternal heritage.

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  12. Plants

    Plants suck in nicotine from nearby smokers

    Peppermint plants can build up nicotine from tobacco dropped on their soil or smoked indoors.

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