11-03-04 As carbon dioxide levels have risen during the last 150 years, the density of pores(气孔) that allow plants to breathe has dwindled by 34 percent, restricting the amount of water vapor(水蒸气) the plants release to the atmosphere, report scienti...
11-02-01 A Purdue University scientist has found genetic evidence of how some plants adapt to live in unfavorable(不宜的) conditions, a finding he believes could one day be used to help food crops survive in new or changing environments. David Salt, a prof...
11-01-30 Plants are attacked by a multitude of(大批的,众多的) insects and mammals. As defense against these herbivores(食草动物) they developed complex defense mechanisms over the course of evolution: spines, thorns, leaf hairs and a number of toxic che...
10-11-16 A new analysis of fossilized(石化的) grass-pollen grains deposited on ancient European lake and sea bottoms 16-35 million years ago reveals that C4 grasses evolved earlier than previously thought. This new evidence casts doubt on the widely-held b...
10-09-12 Each year, thousands of acres(英亩) of crops are planted throughout Africa, Asia and Australia only to be laid to waste by a parasitic(寄生的) plant called Striga(独脚金) , also known as witchweed. It is one of the largest challenges to food s...
10-09-10 Fresh insight into(深刻理解,洞察) how plants slow their growth in cold weather could help scientists develop crops suited to cooler environments. Researchers have shown for the first time that a gene known as Spatula limits the growth of plants i...
10-08-20 The widening of the Panama Canal currently underway has created a rare opportunity to study the insects that inhabit the plants of environmentally sensitive Central American rain forest habitats. Dr. Amy Berkov, Professor of Biology at The City Coll...
10-07-07 Plants pursue a never-ending quest for nourishment(食物,营养品) of the liquid and solar variety. Clearly, the very essence of life. But what can our obsession(痴迷,困扰) with plants teach us about our own personal journeys? My aunts, mom and g...
10-05-04 Trees and other plants help keep the planet cool, but rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are turning down this global air conditioner. According to a new study by researchers at the Carnegie Institution for Science, in some regions mo...
10-03-09 Geraniums(天竺葵) may hold the key to controlling the devastating Japanese beetle(日本金龟子) , which feeds on nearly 300 plant species and costs the ornamental plant(观赏植物) industry $450 million in damage each year, according to scientists...