Botany
Is Hacking Photosynthesis the Key to Increasing Crop Yields?
It’s an agricultural moonshot, but scientists hope to make plants like corn, wheat and barley as heat and drought resistant as cactus
The World's Largest Tree Is Ready for Its Close-Up
Friends of Pando, a nonprofit, is in the process of creating the largest image ever recorded of this single aspen clone in Utah
This New Species of Carnivorous Pitcher Plant Traps Its Prey Underground
Researchers discovered the new specimen in the rainforests of Borneo
Many of These Plants Older Than Dinosaurs Face Extinction
Cycads have changed a great deal since they first appeared around 280 million years ago, and habitat loss and illegal trade are now threats
Each Guitar Reuben Forsland Makes Tells a Story
The Canadian luthier builds custom instruments from unique materials that deliver impeccable sound
New Study Finds Migrants Brought Maize to the Maya
DNA analysis of skeletal remains in Belize helps piece together how corn cultivation came to thrive in Central America
Ten Pioneering Women of Antarctica and the Places Named for Them
These coves, peaks, glaciers and other landmarks honor female explorers and scientists who have contributed to our understanding of the continent
How Carnivorous Plants Evolved
Botanists are beginning to trace the origins of their gruesome appetites
Researchers Now Know Where the Ancient Maya Planted Their Sacred Cacao Groves
Sinkholes across the Yucatan Peninsula provided perfect growing conditions for the plant, used as currency in the Mesoamerican civilization
The First Newly Identified Plant Species of 2022 Was Named After Leonardo DiCaprio
Scientists credit the actor with helping save the Ebo Forest—the plant's home–from logging
Five Places in the United States to See Carnivorous Plants in the Wild
These flesh-eating plants can be found in savage gardens from Oregon to Texas
Astronauts Celebrate Growing Peppers for the First Time With 'Best Space Tacos Yet'
Fresh produce could improve health on long missions
Drop in Greenhouse Gas Caused Global Cooling 34 Million Years Ago
A new study confirms that carbon dioxide plays a significant role in any climate change
The Forgotten French Scientist Who Courted Thomas Jefferson—and Got Pulled Into Scandal
A decade before Lewis and Clark, André Michaux wanted to explore the American continent. Spying for France gave him that chance
Scientists Discover a New Plant Organ
The structure, called a cantil, holds up the flower-bearing arm of the thale cress, a long-studied species
Corpse Flower Steals the Spotlight at Abandoned California Gas Station
A local nursery owner grew the rare botanical wonder and shared the bloom with the community, where they could touch and interact with the plant
Why Plants Are Seeding Climate Studies
The National Museum of Natural History’s herbarium is helping botanists research climate-driven changes in plants, their biology and their abundance
What Fossil Plants Reveal About Climate Change
Paleobiologists use fossil plants to reconstruct Earth’s past climate and inform climate change research today.
Indigenous Peoples in British Columbia Tended 'Forest Gardens'
Found near villages, research suggests the Indigenous population intentionally planted and maintained these patches of fruit and nut trees
Around the World in Eight Plants
A new book takes readers on a journey across our planet, stopping to smell flowers and appreciate other species along the way
