We’ve now entered the season where you might just expect the occasional witch at your front door. Instead of leading to panic, the meeting leads to the exchange of sucrose laden gifts for spooky performances – all at a safe distance, of course. For the crop sorghum, however, a witch at the front door leads to a much more drastic fate: death. … Read more
The orchid family, Orchidaceae, contains over 750 genera, yet it is the Catasetum genus that has earned a description from non other than Darwin himself as ‘the most remarkable of all Orchids’. Probably because, while other pollinated plants like to offer their pollinators a treat, Catasetum orchids also bring the trick.… Read more
This week, we’re talking about a cool process in trees where they all flower and set seeds in sync to produce a massive wave of fruit. Also general news from the world of science!… Read more
Although we like to focus our attention on plants, we can’t really discuss their life without also discussing the way plants interact with their pollinators. There are plenty of weird relationships out there, including those involving flowers that fake it, and stories of nectar thieves. But one of the weirdest has got to be the case of figs and self-sacrificing wasps.… Read more
Joram is tired, Tegan has been singing – a perfect storm for some (plant) science! We discuss the story of Artemisia absinthium, talk about the woes of single-named scientists and bring you the hottest science facts from the last seven days. … Read more
They’ve been described to “…capture the imagination as such behaviors are unexpected in otherwise often quiescent creatures” and to “…turn plants into aggressors against animals, trapping and devouring them”.
Today, we’re talking about the touch response of plants.… Read more
To survive on land, plants need to be able to control water loss. For most plants, this involves the simple act of coating their leaves in wax coat. Now, researchers shed light on when plants evolved this trait. … Read more
We’re really happy to welcome Dr. Florencia Yannelli on the podcast. She is an ecologist and plant researcher who was not stopped by Corona to do science – she simply did the experiment at home! … Read more
In a move that seems almost prescient in understanding the role of mutagenesis in crop improvement and basic biology, a group of ‘Atomic Gardeners’ triumphed the potential for atomic energy to be a force for good, just a few years after the devastation of WWII….… Read more
Hey! Ho! Hey! Ho! It’s a new episode of your favourite podcast about plants and pipettes. This week, we’re talking about C3 and C4 trees, the sounds of forests and how women disrupted bird research. Let’s go!
Sophie N R Young, Lawren Sack, Margaret J Sporck-Koehler, Marjorie R Lundgren, Why is C4 photosynthesis so rare in trees?, Journal of Experimental Botany
Please note: we’re using ‘malate’ for ease of communication. We get that it doesn’t always have to be malate, there are other 4 carbon compounds that can do the job as well.… Read more