News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
By Elle Hunt BBC Studios/Paul Williams TV The Green Planet BBC One January HOUSEPLANTS are the new pets. According to the US National Gardening Association, sales rose by nearly 50 per cent in the three years up to 2019. Then, through the pandemic, they rose even further as we sought to bring nature indoors. Yet … Read more
Those two orbs we see in the sky during the day and night have even more of an influence on the animals and plants on Earth than you might think. The gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon really does appear to affect flora and fauna activity, although the exact mechanisms by which this happens … Read more
Inventorying the plants in a tract of woods or fields or searching for invasive species can take days of hot, hard work slogging through thorny brush and tick-infested grass. Now, researchers have shown that simply capturing and analyzing the DNA plants release into the air can work as well as putting boots on the ground—and … Read more
Understanding why plant-eating mammals like antelopes and sheep are far less likely to die of cancer than carnivores may help protect us from cancer too Life 22 December 2021 By Alice Klein The kowari, a carnivorous marsupial, is particularly prone to cancer D. Parer & E. Parer-Cook/ Minden Pictures/Alamy Mammals that live on meat are … Read more
According to the first global analysis of plant diversity, the world’s flora is growing increasingly uniform, even on isolated islands like Australia. For decades now, scientists have been warning the world we are headed for a new geological epoch, called the ‘Homogecene’, when unique life forms become overshadowed by more adaptable species that can live … Read more
By Clare Wilson GAP Photos Winter and early spring are a good time of year for gardeners to enrich their soil with organic matter such as manure and compost. Many of the plants have died back, leaving more room to dig the material into the soil or making it easier to just lay it on … Read more
Leaves vibrate at a different frequency depending on whether soy plants are under water stress Life 7 December 2021 By Bas den Hond Leaves on a soy plant Igor Stevanovic / Alamy When leaves flutter in the breeze, the frequency of their vibrations may indicate whether the plant is dehydrated. This finding could lead to … Read more
In the tropics, trees are cleared to make way for farmland that is abandoned once the soil is no longer productive – but these sites can become forest again surprisingly quickly Environment 9 December 2021 By Chen Ly Pasture and young secondary forest in Anhembi, Brazil Rens Brouwer Tropical forests can re-establish themselves quickly on … Read more
Under heat and water stress, plants sacrifice their leaves to keep their sexual organs cool – a strategy that we could harness to protect crops from climate change Life 10 December 2021 By Richard Kemeny A field of soya bean plants Shutterstock / kuludi In hot, dry weather, plants sacrifice their leaves to … Read more