All articles tagged with #plants
Water drawn through the hollow stem of a living horsetail (Equisetum) shows the most extreme oxygen-isotope signature ever measured in terrestrial water, a finding that stretches Earth’s isotope range and prompts a reevaluation of how evaporation, plant water, and fossil proxies reveal past humidity and climate.
A Yale-led study shows garlic does more than repel pests: when fruit flies and two mosquito species taste the garlic compound diallyl disulfide, it activates the TrpA1 receptor and triggers bitter/ fullness signals that stop feeding and, crucially, reproduction. The effect is taste-based (not smell) and wasps lacking TrpA1 are unaffected. This points to garlic-derived compounds as targeted, safer pest-control tools, and the researchers also introduce phytoscreen as a simple method to screen plant substances for behavioral effects on insects.
Researchers recorded stressed tomato and tobacco plants and found they emit airborne ultrasonic clicks not audible to humans. Stressed plants produce roughly 30–50 sounds per hour (healthy plants are mostly silent), with sounds varying by stress type (dehydration vs. cutting). A machine-learning model could distinguish healthy vs stressed plants and identify the stress type and plant species. The exact origin may be cavitation, and it’s unclear if these sounds are deliberate signals or byproducts. Ecologically, other organisms might hear and respond to these signals, and there could be agricultural uses for monitoring crop health and irrigation.
A Southampton-led study finds tormentil, a small yellow bogland wildflower, slows the growth of the drug-resistant bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii and may boost the effectiveness of the last-resort antibiotic colistin. The researchers identified two active compounds, agrimoniin and ellagic acid, that starve bacteria of iron, with consistent antimicrobial activity across three Irish bogs, suggesting potential for plant-based drug development—though translating these findings into safe, effective medicines will require extensive further work.
Using a UV camera mounted on a research vehicle, scientists captured hundreds of tiny corona discharges glowing along treetops during thunderstorms, showing that nearly every leaf can glow under a storm’s electric field; each corona carries about a microamp of current and produces hydroxyl radicals that can scrub pollutants but may also damage leaves, with potential implications for forest chemistry and even storm dynamics, observed across multiple storms and tree species and reported in Geophysical Research Letters by Penn State researchers led by P. J. McFarland.
A Taipei-based randomized, double-blind trial tested a plant-based scalp serum (Centella asiatica–derived vesicles plus caffeine, panthenol, FGF-7, IGF-1) in 60 adults over eight weeks, finding about a 25% increase in hair density and thicker strands versus placebo. While promising, results are from a short study without direct comparison to minoxidil/finasteride, and longer, independent replication is needed to confirm durability and safety.
A Guardian photo essay by Christer Björkman spotlights Swedish scientists, each with a personal object or book, as they explore life from tiny insects to hairy plants. The portraits span entomology, mycology, palaeontology and taxonomy, showcasing researchers continuing Linnaeus’s legacy and highlighting biodiversity and the extinction crisis through a visual record of work across Swedish institutions.
Plants first evolved from green algae and began colonizing land around 470 million years ago. To survive, they developed a waxy cuticle to reduce water loss, stronger cell walls, and simple anchor structures; by about 420 million years ago, vascular tissue allowed taller growth and the creation of soils, accelerating weathering and increasing atmospheric oxygen. Later, seeds around 380 million years ago improved reproductive success in dry conditions, and flowering plants around 140 million years ago spread with animal pollinators and fruit dispersal, driving widespread biodiversity. This chain of innovations transformed Earth’s atmosphere, soils, and ecosystems, enabling life to flourish on land.
Scientists say stressed plants emit ultrasonic noises—clicks and pops inaudible to humans. A 2023 Cell study led by Lilach Hadany at Tel Aviv University found dehydrated tomato and tobacco plants averaged about 40 clicks per hour, with sounds detectable from over a meter away, suggesting a potential sound-based form of plant communication that could influence nearby insects and animals; cavitation is a likely source, though other mechanisms are being explored, along with how these sounds operate in natural environments.
Researchers use a new leaf-imaging system that combines microscopy, gas sensors, and controlled environments to video-record stomatal openings in living leaves, linking pore movements to CO2 uptake and water loss in real time and highlighting variability among pores—offering a tool to help breeders improve crop water-use efficiency.
Journalist Michael Pollan discusses his new book A World Appears, which ties together questions about consciousness—what it is, who has it, and why—with explorations of plant sentience, psychedelic experience, and the risk that we mistake chatbots for true consciousness, all while examining how humans relate to mind, self, and technology.
A new critique published in Trends in Plant Science questions the 2025 study that linked synchronized bioelectrical activity in spruce trees to a partial solar eclipse, arguing the small sample size, numerous variables, and lack of alternative explanations undermine the claim; some scientists label the work as pseudoscience, while the original researchers defend the preliminary results and say follow-up studies are ongoing.
A rare asexual yam, Dioscorea melanophyma, produces berry-like bulbils that trick birds into dispersing vegetative clones; birds perceive bulbils as real fruit, enabling endozoochory-based spread with a median distance of about 230 meters and occasional transfers beyond 500 meters, helping seedless plants expand without seeds.
Researchers found female moths (Spodoptera littoralis) can hear ultrasonic sounds emitted by drought-stressed plants and use these cues to decide where to lay eggs. In experiments without real plants, moths preferred locations near a stress sound; when healthy plants were present, they avoided the stressed plants, showing context-based decision-making that integrates sound with smell.
A West African cliff-dwelling plant, Virectaria stellata, exhibits unusual stellate hairs and genetic traits not typical for its Rubiaceae family, suggesting possible horizontal gene transfer from another species. While researchers, including UGANC and RBG Kew, test genomic sequences to confirm gene movement, they note that the mechanism remains uncertain and that the plant is not parasitic. Further sampling in Guinea and genomic analyses will help determine whether real gene transfer occurred and how it shaped the plant’s traits.