In the past the Agathis resin known as manila copal was exploited for linoleum and varnishes but synthetics replaced most of that use.
not only leaves but also numerous branches pollen cones seed cones and even a winged seed still attached to the cone.
The various species of Agathis are identified usually by their pollen cones so this is the first time that a fossil Agathis could be compared directly to trees growing today.
Many of the most important crops in Europe such as rapeseed sunflower soybeans apples and strawberries benefit from pollination by insects.
which helpful bacteria that have entered the roots of plants convert nitrogen in the atmosphere into ammonia
. 4 million years ago mainly ate tiger nuts (grass bulbs) supplemented with the odd grasshopper and worm.
Tiger nuts are edible grass bulbs still eaten in parts of the world today. The study published in the journal PLOS ONE also suggests that these early hominins may have sought additional nourishment from fruits and invertebrates like worms and grasshoppers.
Previous research using stable isotope analyses suggests the diet of these homimins was composed largely of C4 plants like grasses and sedges.
which suggests grasses and sedges. Yet these are not high quality foods. What this research tells us is that hominins were selective about the part of the grass that they ate choosing the grass bulbs at the base of the grass blade as the mainstay of their diet.'
'Tiger nuts still sold in health food shops as well as being used widely for grinding down and baking in many countries would be relatively easy to find.
and seeds and to consume fewer desserts and convenience foods. â#¢Fat is a critical nutrient
and the addition of makeshift perches such as transmission polls in sagebrush ecosystems are creating preferred habitat for common ravens that threaten sensitive native bird species including greater sage grouse.
The authors looked at 82 raven nests on the U s. Department of energy's Idaho National Laboratory land in southeastern Idaho a sagebrush steppe ecosystem where ravens increased in numbers eleven-fold between 1985 and 2009.
Nesting on the poles may also gain them greater security from predators range fires and heat stress.
In addition to proximity to transmission lines ravens in the study area selected nest sites that were in close proximity to edges formed between sagebrush
The scientists believe that in contrast to continuous sagebrush stands edges enable the ravens to more readily detect prey
However the findings in the study indicated that ravens also preferred nesting areas with nonnative vegetation
The results of these findings pointed to further increases in raven abundance in formerly natural sagebrush steppe following alterations made by people specifically those associated with energy development and an expanding electric grid.
The authors state Such an increase likely poses an increased threat to sagebrush steppe species subject to raven depredation including sage-grouse for
WCS Northern Rockies Program Coordinator Jeff Burrell said Sagebrush steppe is one of the most important and most threatened habitats in the western U s. Healthy sagebrush steppe provides crucial cover
as a result of grid development and that protecting unaltered landscapes from fragmentation by transmission lines roads crested wheatgrass plantings and the invasion of other nonnative vegetation is integral to stemming range expansion by ravens.
and effect on understory vegetation over time are understood not well but such information is useful to forest management focused on restoring biodiversity and resilience to these ecosystems.
and understory vegetation (tree seedlings shrubs and herbaceous species) was quantified within quadrats in the old-growth condition in 1929 prior to logging later in 1929 after logging and again in 2007 or 2008.
Change to non-tree vegetation was pronounced most for shrub cover which averaged 28.6%in 1929 but only 2. 5%in 2008.
CART analysis indicated that the highest shrub cover in 1929 was in areas having four
Herbaceous species richness in 2008 was significantly lower than in 1931 two years after logging
Understory vegetation should benefit from thinning or prescribed fire treatments that lead to a greater abundance of higher light environments within stands.
#Researchers target cancer stem cells in malignant brain tumorsresearchers at the Cedars-Sinai Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute and Department of Neurosurgery identified immune system targets on cancer
stem cells--cells from which malignant brain tumors are believed to originate and regenerate--and created an experimental vaccine to attack them.
Results of laboratory and animal studies are published in the online edition of Stem Cells Translational Medicine
Like normal stem cells cancer stem cells have the ability to self-renew and generate new cells
if the cancer stem cells can be destroyed a tumor may not be able to sustain itself
The researchers identified certain fragments of a protein--CD133--that is found on cancer stem cells of some brain tumors and other cancers.
Together with Dr Soma Mitra we also assessed the background diet of all the participants before they were allowed to join the study.
However certain stink bugs are beneficial such as Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) a predatory stink bug that is considered an important biological control agent for various insect pests of cotton soybean tomato
which reveals the oldest evidence of sexual reproduction in a flowering plant--a cluster of 18 tiny flowers from the Cretaceous period--with one of them in the process of making some new seeds for the next generation.
when flowering plants were changing the face of the Earth forever adding beauty biodiversity and food.
It appears identical to the reproduction process that angiosperms or flowering plants still use today. Researchers from Oregon State university and Germany published their findings on the fossils in the Journal of the Botanical Institute of Texas. The flowers themselves are in remarkable condition as are many such plants
and insects preserved for all time in amber. The flowing tree sap covered the specimens
and then began the long process of turning into a fossilized semiprecious gem. The flower cluster is one of the most complete ever found in amber
and appeared at a time when many of the flowering plants were still quite small. Even more remarkable is the microscopic image of pollen tubes growing out of two grains of pollen
and penetrating the flower's stigma the receptive part of the female reproductive system. This sets the stage for fertilization of the egg and would begin the process of seed formation--had the reproductive act been completed.
In Cretaceous flowers we've never before seen a fossil that shows the pollen tube actually entering the stigma said George Poinar Jr. a professor emeritus in the Department of Integrative Biology at the OSU College of Science.
This is the beauty of amber fossils. They are preserved so rapidly after entering the resin that structures such as pollen grains
and tubes can be detected with a microscope. The pollen of these flowers appeared to be said sticky Poinar suggesting it was carried by a pollinating insect
and adding further insights into the biodiversity and biology of life in this distant era. At that time much of the plant life was composed of conifers ferns mosses and cycads.
During the Cretaceous new lineages of mammals and birds were beginning to appear along with the flowering plants.
But dinosaurs still dominated the Earth. The evolution of flowering plants caused an enormous change in the biodiversity of life On earth especially in the tropics
and subtropics Poinar said. New associations between these small flowering plants and various types of insects and other animal life resulted in the successful distribution
and evolution of these plants through most of the world today he said. It's interesting that the mechanisms for reproduction that are still with us today had already been established some 100 million years ago.
The fossils were discovered from amber mines in the Hukawng Valley of Myanmar previously known as Burma.
The newly-described genus and species of flower was named Micropetasos burmensis. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Oregon State university.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference e
#Important mutation discovered in dairy cattlescientists have found a genomic deletion that affects fertility and milk yield in dairy cattle at the same time.
and try growing oilseed crops to make your own fuel for your diesel vehicles--after all, that's
and grow deep, healthy roots in loose soil, while better filtering rainwater. Here's an example of a Silva Cell at Vancouver's Olympic Village:
Sribyatta â¢s materials include invasive species such as water hyacinth, liana and bamboo, and recyclable polyethylene.
Å Oh my God, this is the magical material--bamboo, rattan, water hyacinth --I â¢ve been looking for,
We use rattan, water hyacinth, bamboo and vine. We use recycled polyethylene and recycled aluminum. Last year we came out with this product that was in the works for a couple years
And the resin we use is green resin no formaldehyde. You could actually bite into it and it â¢s perfectly fine.
Any plywood manufacturer could pick up some weeds and do this. I don â¢t look at this as my innovation.
With a plant like water hyacinth, it â¢s invasive, so you will never have a supply shortage?
But water hyacinth is easy to find. The beauty of it is that it grows in rivers,
the government hires people to cut the water hyacinth and throw it out or burn it.
But usually the food's already on the table or plucked from the vine. A new design could create a place to grow food in cities and a place for people to visit.
Urban farming, the wildly popular green trend that is spreading like weeds in New york city and other metropolises, is an environmental sham.
Photo of urban farm in Chicago is from Linda via Wikimedia More urban roots on Smartplanet:
At airports such as Atlanta â¢s Hartsfield-Jackson International, officials have added the animals to their grounds crew as a low-cost way to cut down on weeds
After just two days of testing the sheep â¢s weed-whacking abilities in a test acre lot near Atlanta's airport,
the animals had eaten through nearly half of the high-flying weeds in the area. Since the airport has about 3
the sheep could prove extremely useful in making sure vegetation doesn â¢t grow into habitats for birds
and officials at Chicago O â¢Hare are currently contemplating the use of goats to cut down on weeds.
The Chicago Department of Aviation recently put out a bid calling for someone to supply goats to eat up some weeds surrounding O â¢Hare
But they threw their pot ale (the leftover swill of dead yeast and water) into the ocean.
and shucked and eaten as quickly as possible off the stalk--is the sweetest that money can buy.
Most of these funds were spent on addressing problems related to the growth of street tree roots,
and flowers while protecting farm workers--who in the past would apply pesticides by hand--from the toxicity of the chemicals.
The seeds or saplings planted this year won't be a harvestable or marketable asset for potentially 30 to 40 years.
Solar panel discs bloom at the end of 16-foot fronds. When charged with six hours of sunlight, they can shine for nearly 10 hours straight.
Within a foot of the bulb, the dizzy bugs drop, falling to their watery deaths inside a bucket.
At around $1, 000 for a two-bulb unit, the systems could add up. Compared to organic pesticides prices,
It decomposes like any old branch in the soil to recreate what happens in the forest,
But we have okra plants that are six feet tall. We have plants growing in 3, 500 crates,
trees and greenery--planned for these projects. Amazon is the latest tech company to join the architectural fray.
or conservatory (the Mitchell Park Horticulture Conservatory known as the Domes in Milwaukee come to mind). Amazon says the plant material will be selected for its ability to coexist in a microclimate that also suits people.
The aptly-named Big Bud is a fully functional weed farm that features programmable lights,
What's kind of reactions do you get from people regarding the idea of allowing customers to wheel around their weed supply?
But there so many others â skate, cod, scallops. When you go scallop dredging, you ruin their environment.
arugula, butter lettuce and mache), which uses it to heat their greenhouses in the winter.
One woman sells flowers, so we go over there every week to get our centerpieces
Thawing permafrost spells risks for warming planettemperatures in the Arctic are warming, and along with them,
and roots--it releases a lot of carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide and methane, into the atmosphere as it thaws.
whose roots have lost their solid support system, lean crazily. Thermokarsts are becoming more common in some regions,
A park for all seasons--fall for the hues of red, orange, and yellow foliage; winter for snow-covered trees and ice skating;
spring for tulip bulbs and pink and white blossoming trees; summer for picnicking on Sheep Meadow and concerts on the Great Lawn. 2. Barcelona,
you'll find Jardins Mossã Â n Costa i Llobera (home to hundreds of varieties of cacti) and the Jardins Mossã Â n Cinto Verdaguer (where 100,000 plants bloom throughout the year.
the historic Hirschgarten is known now more for its massive beer garden than for its greenery,
000 acres and has a Japanese Tea garden, the Conservatory of Flowers, world-class museums, botanic gardens, and more.
The Presidio--made up of 1, 000 acres of wildflower meadows, gardens, and forest groves--offers incomparable views of the Golden gate bridge.
Throughout the year. 8. Melbourne, Australia Visit the Royal Botanic Gardens for its 12,000-plus species of plants, trees and flowers, the romantic Treasury Gardens, the greenhouses of the Fitzroy Gardens
Spring for cherry blossom trees; fall for the changing autumn leaves. 10. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Highlights include Wissahickon Valley Park with 50 miles of rugged terrain for mountain bikers and hikers, plus trout fishing in Wissahickon creek;
the Azalea Garden; Boathouse Row; Batram's Garden; the Japanese House and Garden; Franklin D. Roosevelt Park (The Lakes;
such as Brazil's sugar cane-based fuel, meant to spur domestic demand. A bipartisan group called to put the subsidies to rest in a letter,
while land for cotton decreased 47 percent. With corn requiring more water and fertilizer than cotton, the crop shift,
they say, is affecting water levels and quality in northwestern Mississippi. Nitrogen levels in the Yazoo River,
longer growing seasons deeper roots (10 to 12 feet down) hold down topsoil reduce erosion build soil sequester carbon from the air reduce farm equipment maintenance requirements use less herbicide Will perennial grains really be the answer
it was the Venus'Flower Basket sea sponge, a glowing creature that thrives in the inky depths of the sea.
The practice of modeling structures after those of nearby animals is a time-honored tradition with ancient roots,
which features 1. 7 million plants that replace an inefficient traditional hard roof with a field of California poppies, tidy tips, sea pink and other native plants.
We're looking for resins to replace plastics, and new ways of reformulating earthen products like adobe.
or ditching it into the pulp and paper market. Accordingly, Mccraw believes we're headed for a pine pulpwood shortage.
resource control and competition Bioengineering e coli to turn seaweed into fuel Fatty foods cause brain scarring, study shows
Their roots weave across the stone facades, the trunks and branches extending off the top of the structures.
Residents see the wall trees as valuable both for their historical significance such stone walls were a distinctly British design
Some people do actually eat the seed, and apple trees do grow from random seeds scattered on compost heaps on the side of the road.
This is the problem with complex organisms and complex ecosystems. There s always going to be some level of contamination and risk.
Furthermore, what's important is that you can process all kinds of available biomass--wood chips, switch grass, corn stover, rice husks, wheat straw ââ Â,
We're pleased with our organic process for weed abatement airport spokesman Doug Yakel said. The airport paid $14, 900 for the service this year.
and anywhere else with overgrown vegetation. When they become too old to work these goats are sold not for meat!
the bark bleed, and the leaves die. Dutch researchers discovered that 70 percent of trees in The netherlands are affected by Wi-fi radiation.
A similar group hunted wild boar in Italy, scraped reindeer lichen off rocks in Lapland, made fruitless attempts to net ducks in Japan,
Jimmy red corn and chioggia beets grew up Brock's arms, maize with corn smut covered Stupak's side,
cowpeas and benne and also served as the cooks for plantation kitchens. Their fritters and one-pot stews gave rise to typical Lowcountry dishes such as Hoppin'John. Early in the week,
using sticks to break the kernels off the stems. They pounded off the hulls with an old mortar
and pestle, winnowed the grains in an antique basket and cooked them over an open fire.
The Spanish moss that sways gently from the branches of oak trees appeared in Chiang's dish as a backdrop to woodsy lichen flakes and a puree of wild plants.
including Carolina peas, raw peanuts, benne, barley and camelina, a microscopic oil seed from antiquity.
Barns, Pocantico Hills, USA Sean Brock Mccrady's, Husk, Charleston, South carolina Jeremy Charles Raymonds, St john's, Newfoundland, Canada Andrã Â Chiang Restaurant
Tim Edwards of the fuel branch of AFRL said in a release today. Virent has made fuels and chemicals from sugars in cellulosic biomass before.
a process the company says is more effective and cheaper than extracting sugar from corn or sugarcane.
and nutritional additives such as baker's yeast and amino acids for the animal feed industry. A few weeks ago, Virdia unveiled its new name,
Genes that code for pheromone biosynthesis were injected into the tobacco plant Nicotiana benthamiana via bacteria cultures (pictured.
Pushpangadan, now Director General of Amity Institute for Herbal & Biotech Products Development, who remains wary of his past experience,
But others could address real issues around sanitation, urban greenery and traffic. A project called DIY Traffic Controller, developed by Theodore Ullrich, an industrial designer from Tomorrow Lab and his partner Aurash Khawarzad
and made available to the adjacent plants (large bamboo stalks, in the prototype). Sensors measure the amount of urine entering the urinal and monitor ammonia levels.
pathogens or weeds that could harm local crops. Led by USDA plant geneticist Stephanie Greene and St petersburg State university scientist Alexandr Afonin,
and also help filter the Air plants are being chosen based on their ability to produce humidity and absorb CO2, dust and urban noise.
Once completed, Bosco Verticale will support 900 trees (the tallest are expected to grow up to about 30 feet) as well as shrubs and floral plants.
Lockheed martin debuts maple seed-inspired dronemaple seeds. Most people admire them for being pretty and delicate
A foot long, the SAMARAI (after samara, the name for maple seeds) also has one wing
D c. How samara fly In a manner similar to insects, hummingbirds and bats, maple seeds fly by creating a vortex over the leading edge of the wing.
Reducing the pressure above the wing's surface like this creates a mini sideways tornado
when maple seeds swirl to the ground, they go much more slowly and land farther from the tree than they otherwise would.
Beyond their utilitarian function, enabling natives to cross distant ridges, the bridges are essentially the roots of a type of rubber tree called ficus elastica.
Left unfettered, the roots expand in more unwieldy pattern (hint: they're definitely not being
But at some point roughly 500 years ago, indigenous tribespeople discovered that they could guide the formation of this outgrowth using betel nut trunks as tools.
Once the roots reach the opposite bank, they form a stable foundation from which to they continue to grow
Living root bridges Related stories: Video: China unveils world s longest sea bridge, but is it?
revealing which forests store the most carbon Hemp helps create greener homes More low-tech solutions on Smartplanet:
and then be kneaded in the shape of a chrysanthemum flower--the most challenging part of the process.
I think, stems from our simultaneous obsession with pork and animal-centric cooking in general. Ramen perfectly encapsulates our hedonistic pleasure in eating--it's comforting
In this video, you can see Treebot inch its way up thin stalks of bamboo as well as trees with much thicker diameters.
and you hold your breath as it makes 90-degree turns onto branches. While it would best most humans any day
when it comes to the perennials and annuals we cultivate on our near-acre of New jersey property for nine months out of the year.
We actually only water new shrubs or plants that haven't established and stop short of sprinkling the lawn except on very rare occasions.
For over three decades, the chemical has been hailed as safe and incredibly beneficial to the production of corn, soybean, and cotton.
But critics say it speeds the growth of super weeds. And still others say it raises health concerns like infertility and cancer.
and cotton genetically engineered to survive dousings of glyphosate. The chemical is found in more than 750 products in the US.
and new herbicide-tolerant crops that they hope will halt the advance of weed resistance and silence critics.
weed by tobym via Flickr
Weighing what trash is worth at Mexico city'Bartering Market'MEXICO CITY oe Sunday morning brings swarms of people to Chapultepec Park to walk, run, bike or just meander among the trees and the vendors of snacks
cheese, herbs and houseplants. The market is something of a marketing gimmick in a city that is pushing hard to get residents to recycle.
Rosa Fajardo and her daughter, Itzel Patricio, traded 15 kilos of recyclable material for four houseplants and two rounds of cheese.
In habitats where there is lots of natural vegetation, there are many organisms making vocalizations. As you look at areas that are disturbed more
It runs a hotel chain that encompasses 100 hotels in 80 locations--including the largest LEED Platinum certified hotel property, the ITC Hotel Royal Gardenia.
such as leaving traditional communities without the natural wealth they relied upon, a problem which falls back on governments and seeds unrest.
a flower that mostly attracts honeybees, would have to be planted. Combine the high-density of bees with the fact that many of the new urban beekeepers are inexperienced and,
you might be better off planting more flowers if you want to help the bees. Read more:
but every living thing oe even organisms we know little about, such as microbes, fungi and invertebrates.
Perhaps the additional, continual complaints about the lack of a work-life balance could be solved by taking a leaf out of Google's book.
It turns out that the bean leaf solution is as good as the best of those methods.
it is an important step in the long-term strategy to find a solution to provide affordable access to safe water for All the Swach's filter uses a combination of paddy husk ash and silver particles to kill 80
India produces 20 million tons of paddy husk ash each year as a byproduct of rice milling.
but we make all of our paper products essentially out of cotton fiber. We're really not tied in with the tree side of paper-making;
They would give it back to the pulp and paper mill and those guys would mix it back in with their black liquor.
as well as seeds, herbs and flowers. Meats that are considered pre-Hispanic include venison, duck, boar, armadillo or a squirrel-like rodent called tepezcuintle.
The combination of depleted supply and increased demand for pre-Hispanic foods like gusanos de maguey, white worms that feed on the leaves of a maguey that grows as tall as a man,
Ovadã Â a supports growers of tamarillo, a type of tree tomato, and tamalayota, a type of squash.
Ovadã Â a is not a pre-Hispanic purist, however. With ports in the Pacific and Gulf of mexico, Mexico has always been a crossroads,
So the seedlings dont lay down as much lignin. And if you could figure out a way to do that On earth
One is related yeast; There is an Amgen bone-loss experiment with a mouse; There is a microbe experiment;
And one looks at the jatropha plant, which is important in the development of biofuel,
Green algae used to make plastics that dont contain petroleum The algae bloom of alternative energy Video:
disperse seeds, and pollinate plants. And humans, directly and indirectly, keep infringing on their natural habitats;
'meet Australia's superfoodskangaroo Apple (solanum aviculare) MELBOURNE oe-In the 1980s there was a show called Bush tucker Man,
to educate people on the multiple uses of bush tucker. Å The joy of bush foods is that they don't taste like anything you've ever tasted before,
 she says. caption id=attachment 7063 align=alignright width=300 caption=Some Acacia wattle seeds contain toxins
Warrigal Greens (tetragonia tetragonoides
Bye-bye barf: whale vomit no longer necessary to make perfumesambergris-the technical term for hunks of sperm whale vomit-has long been a component in high end perfumes.
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