WEIRD NATURE
A novel lawsuit is taking advantage of a local ‘rights of nature’ measure passed in November in an effort to protect wetlands. The Florida lawsuit is part of a growing trend around the world of laws protecting rights of nature. Photograph: Jupiterimages/Getty Images …
Scheme involving ‘ bee hotels’ and ‘bee stops’ reaps rewards as census shows no strong decline in urban population. A ‘bee hotel’ in a city park. The structures have helped urban bee populations to thrive by providing cavities for solitary bees to nest. …
Tomatoes drawing by Lucille Clerc, from Around the World in 80 Plants. Photograph: Lucille Clerc – Did you know that tomatoes respond to a high C note? Or that the prickly pear made red fabric popular, and yams helped create the contraceptive pill? …
Understanding how other animals dream could help us figure out why it’s so important to the human brain, and why it may have been preserved throughout history. Photograph: Alamy – By Sara Harrison 2021 Apr 16 07:00 AM – Fruit flies, octopuses, birds, …
Whiteflies have a gene only found in plants that appears to allow the tiny insects to withstand plants’ chemical defenses A tiny, aphid-like whitefly sitting on a leaf. (Jixing Xia and Zhaojiang Guo) – By Alex Fox SmithsonianMag.Com 2021 Mar 30 – A …
An insect-friendly wildflower swath at California State University, Fullerton’s arboretum. TDLucas5000/Flickr, CC BY – By Brian Lovett, Postdoctoral Researcher in Mycology, West Virginia University 2021 Mar 22 – As winter phases into spring across the U.S., gardeners are laying in supplies and making …
Scientists have discovered fossilized plants almost a mile under the Greenland ice sheet, which has worrying implications for climate change. sergio_p/Depositphotos View 3 Images – By Michael Irving 2021 Mar 17 – Scientists have made the surprising discovery of fossilized plants 1.4 km …
Paul and Becky Rogers converted 14 acres of land in Kent County, Mich. to habitat that supports pollinators, songbirds and wildlife. USDA/Flickr, CC BY – By Thomas Hertel, Professor of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University 2021 Mar 09 – Growing food in a sustainable, …
Temperatures in the Sahara can drop an average of 75 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) overnight. The milky way shines in the night sky over the Sahara Desert. (Image credit: Shutterstock) – By Harry Baker – Staff Writer 11 days ago – If …
Cow cuddling is getting ever more popular, but what’s the science behind using animals for relaxation? Credit: cottonbro from Pexels – By Scotty Hendricks 2021 Feb 27 – An Indian non-profit hopes to help people relax by giving them cuddle sessions with cows. …
