Liz Truss, the new UK prime minister, isn’t a fan of solar farms. In 2014, when she was environment secretary, she described rows of panels arranged in a field to capture energy from the sun as a “blight on the landscape”. Eight years later, as a candidate for the 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, she…
An integral part of culinary traditions from Ancient Greece until today, petimezi is nestled in the wisdom of the Mediterranean diet, hiding within it the sweetness of sunny vineyards and the know-how of our ancestors. Petimezi, the “honey of the poor” that many generations grew up with, belongs to the most nutritious, natural sweeteners, and…
AI assists in the pursuit for one threatened plant species. “Surely this is the most solitary organism in the world,” wrote paleontologist Richard Fortey in his book about the evolution of life. He was talking about Encephalartos woodii (E. woodii), a plant from South Africa. E. woodii is a member of the cycad family, heavy…
Water contamination by the chemicals used in today’s technology is a rapidly growing problem globally. A recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that 98 percent of people tested had detectable levels of PFAS, a family of particularly long-lasting compounds also known as “forever chemicals,” in their bloodstream. A new filtration material developed…
Our energy system is stuck in the past. Fire has been our primary source of energy for over a million years, providing the essential heat needed to survive. This reliance on fire made sense when our principal energy needs were purely for heat. However, today’s energy demands have evolved far beyond this primal necessity. Unlike…
Four plants eaten by gorillas, also used in Gabonese traditional medicine, have antibacterial effects. Four plants consumed by wild gorillas in Gabon and used by local communities in traditional medicine show antibacterial and antioxidant properties, find Leresche Even Doneilly Oyaba Yinda from the Interdisciplinary Medical Research Center of Franceville in Gabon and colleagues in a…
For as long as scientists have studied trees, we have categorised them into two types based on the sort of wood they make. Softwoods include pines and firs and generally grow faster than hardwoods, like oaks and maples, which can take several decades to mature and make a denser wood. However, our recent research has…
Goldenrod can perceive other plants nearby without ever touching them, by sensing far-red light ratios reflected off leaves. When goldenrod is eaten by herbivores, it adapts its response based on whether or not another plant is nearby. Is this kind of flexible, real-time, adaptive response a sign of intelligence in plants? The question is not…
The balance of phytoplankton populations in the sea is shifting as a result of human-induced climate change, altering the oceans in profound ways. When you picture the ocean you might imagine sparkling turquoise waters – but recent research suggests swathes of our world’s oceans may in fact be turning greener. And the leading culprit might…
Scientists from Swansea University have developed a new tool to help identify optimal photovoltaic (PV) materials capable of maximising crop growth while generating solar power. In a recent study published in Solar RRL, academics from the University’s Department of Physics have been exploring the effect of semi-transparent PV materials placed over crops – an exemplary…