Botany
The Mysterious Physics of the World’s Fastest Carnivorous Plant
Scientists are trying to figure out how the bladderwort is capable of inhaling its prey at over 600 times the force of gravity.
Researchers Say More Than Half of Plant Specimens Could Have the Wrong Name
Distinguishing specimens from each other isn't always easy.
A Tribute to Botanical Artist Marianne North on Her 185th Birthday
In a time when women were expected to be homemakers, Marianne North was a globetrotting adventurer.
We Asked a Biologist if Plants Can Feel Pain
According to Daniel Chamovitz, dean of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University, plants can feel themselves being eaten, they just don't have the capacity to give a shit.
Who Killed the Venus Flytrap?
In the public consciousness, the Venus flytrap is prolific. But in the wild, it's disappearing.
Five Ways Scientists Want to Hack Plants to Improve Photosynthesis
The amount of land dedicated to farming is shrinking, the world's crop productivity is stagnating, and the population is still growing. What are we going to do about the looming agricultural crisis?
The Hauntingly Beautiful Photos of Anna Atkins, Creator of Botanical Photography
How a pigment called Prussian Blue led to the world’s first botanical photographs.
Carnivorous Plants Are More Conniving Than You Think
Biologists discover that the pitcher plant will let ants feed for free... as long as they spread the word to all their other tasty ant friends.
The Impact That Killed the Dinosaurs Is Still Shaping Today’s Forests
Deciduous plants were given a boost by the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, while flowering evergreens suffered.
Plants Are Capable of Making Complex Decisions
Scientists discover that the Barberry plant can outsmart its parasites. And it will have to more often, because parasites are gaining ground with climate change.
The World's Biggest Flower Just Bloomed in Ohio and It Smells Like a Corpse
A very rare and very smelly Sumatran "corpse flower" just smothered Ohio in stink.