Botany
Not your ordinary houseplant: World’s tallest begonia found in Tibet
When researchers found a begonia plant twice as tall as a person, they knew they had something extraordinary. Of the more than 2,000 known begonia species, most are the size of large herbs or small shrubs. In late 2020, during surveys in Mêdog county in southern Tibet, Daike Tian and his colleagues from the Shanghai […]
Read MoreTop 15 species discoveries from 2021 (Photos)
With humans sending probes to explore Mars and the sun, one might think we’ve already explored the full extent of our own planet. But scientists say we’ve only begun to find and describe the riches here on Earth. “I think most people believe that we know most species on Earth … but in the best-case […]
Read MoreWhen it comes to carbon capture, tree invasions can do more harm than good
Trees are a logical solution to climate change, but allowing or encouraging trees to spread into areas where they don’t typically grow, such as tundra and grasslands, can actually do more harm than good. A newly published review paper in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment asks the question: “Should tree invasions be […]
Read More