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crossword puzzle
Ten Minute Sabbatical
Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse
Ten Minute Sabbatical
Ten Minute Sabbatical

Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse

Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse

trees

Green fruit hanging in a tree
Trees’ Scent Tricks Hornets Into Shuttling Seeds
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Jun 30, 2022 | 4 min read
Agarwood fruit smells like prey, luring carnivorous hornets, a study suggests.
dense evergreen forest with mountains in distance
Climate Change Likely to Slow Plant Growth in Northern Hemisphere
Margaret Osborne | Jun 14, 2022 | 2 min read
While the higher temperatures and CO2 levels associated with climate change currently fuel plant productivity, a study finds that changing conditions could take a toll on photosynthesis rates in regions outside the Arctic within a decade.
Single white snowdrop flower
Plants in UK Bloom a Month Earlier Than in 1980s: Study
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Feb 2, 2022 | 2 min read
Scientists warn that climate change–induced early flowering could have negative effects on wildlife, agriculture, and gardening.
Vector drawing of a tropical rainforest with diverse trees
More Than 9,000 Tree Species Await Scientific Description
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Feb 1, 2022 | 2 min read
A new study of tree biodiversity estimates that Earth boasts 14 percent more tree species than previous efforts have identified.
A fresh, peeled lychee fruit held above a harvest of fresh lychees
Genome Spotlight: Lychee (Litchi chinensis)
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Jan 27, 2022 | 3 min read
Whole genome sequences reveal multiple domestications of this agriculturally important tree and may hold the secrets to producing the sweet fruit year round.
Photograph looking up a tree trunk
Contrary to Common Belief, Some Older Trees Make Fewer Seeds
Annie Melchor | Nov 1, 2021 | 2 min read
An analysis of more than half a million trees reveals that many species begin to taper off seed production once they hit a certain size.
a large, mossy cedar tree in a forest
Book Excerpt from Finding the Mother Tree
Suzanne Simard | May 1, 2021 | 4 min read
In the book’s introduction, “Connections,” Suzanne Simard relates how her “perception of the woods has been turned upside down.”
Opinion: Western Canada Must Stop Clearcutting Its “Mother” Trees
Suzanne Simard and Teresa Ryan | May 1, 2021 | 4 min read
Feeding the world’s insatiable appetite for wood products is sacrificing the future of a crucial ecosystem.
Long-Lived Trees’ Epigenetic Mutations Serve as a Molecular Clock
Jef Akst | Mar 1, 2021 | 2 min read
Cells found in different branches of a tree have different patterns of DNA methylation, changes in which accumulate over time.
Book Excerpt from Tree Story
Valerie Trouet | Mar 1, 2020 | 3 min read
In Chapter 5, “The Messiah, the Plague, and Shipwrecks under the City,” author Valerie Trouet tells the tale of wooden structures crafted by Europeans millennia ago and how dendrochronology helped determine their age.
Opinion: Tree Rings as Soothsayers
Valerie Trouet | Mar 1, 2020 | 3 min read
Not only can studying the growth patterns obscured within tree trunks tell us about the past, the field can also help us plan for the future.
maple leaves on a tree seen from below
Vegetation Filters Harmful Particulates from Air—But How Much?
Shawna Williams | Jan 6, 2020 | 5 min read
Studies on various roadside layouts and species tend to yield different results for plants’ effectiveness at alleviating pollution.
Smells of Nature Lower Physiological Stress
Ashley Yeager | Jan 2, 2020 | 4 min read
In a virtual reality experiment, participants recovered faster from a small electric shock when they could smell natural scents than when they could smell urban odors.
Image of the Day: Changing Forests
Emily Makowski | Nov 27, 2019 | 1 min read
Carbon dioxide and temperature need to increase in a constant ratio for plants to keep up with climate change.
Tree stump analyzed for water flow from nearby trees sharing root system
Image of the Day: Tree Hugger
Nicoletta Lanese | Jul 29, 2019 | 1 min read
Water flows between a dead-looking stump and nearby trees on an alternating schedule.
sycamore tree climate change global warming ipcc
Earth Has Room For 1 Trillion More Trees
Ashley P. Taylor | Jul 5, 2019 | 2 min read
Researchers who provide that estimate believe this is the best and cheapest way to combat global warming.
silver birth diesel exhaust fumes air pollution ultrafine particles
Trees Tested as Pollutant Traps
Anthony King | May 28, 2019 | 4 min read
Silver birch, elder, and yew win out in an experiment to see which species best capture the tiny particles from diesel pollution.
Eastern Monarchs Flourish While Western Numbers Plunge
Carolyn Wilke | Feb 8, 2019 | 2 min read
In the last year, the butterfly’s eastern group has more than doubled its hibernation area while the other population waned. Plus, researchers are moving trees to save monarch habitat.
Deforestation Tied to Changes in Disease Dynamics
Katarina Zimmer | Jan 29, 2019 | 8 min read
Numerous studies link habitat destruction to malaria and other vector-borne diseases, but the relationship isn’t always clear.
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