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POPSThe Mathematical Lives of Plants The seeds of a sunflower, the spines of a cactus, and the bracts of a pine cone all grow in whirling spiral patterns. Remarkable for their complexity and beauty, they also show consistent mathematical patterns that scientists have been striving to understand. ... Scientists have puzzled over this pattern of plant growth for hundreds of years. Why would plants prefer the golden angle to any other? And how can plants possibly "know" anything about Fibonacci numbers? For the first time, scientists have found convincing biochemical mechanisms responsible for the interlocking spiral growth patterns seen in many plants. (The Romanesco broccoli plant is a striking example.) The video of the experiment with magnetized liquid iron droplets demonstrates how the geometry of such growth could occur in nature.
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POPSSex, lies and some existential questions.. :-) So many orchids treat their pollinators so nastily, with false promises of food and sex or the occasional dunking of insect visitors into bucket-shaped petals full of liquid, that naturalists have puzzled over the relationship for more than a century. Darwin was so consumed by the odd interactions that after “The Origin of Species,” his next book was an entire volume on the subject, “The Various Contrivances by Which Orchids Are Fertilized by Insects.”
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POPSReference Guide for HERBS Someone asked for this... Ho Shou Wu Root Hyssop Leaf Jujube Date Juniper Berry Kola Nut Korean Ginseng Root Lady Slipper Root Licorice Root Lycium Berry Motherwort Leaf Muira Puama Root Mullein Leaf Oregon Grape Root Panax Ginseng Parsley Root Passion Flowers Pau D'Arco Bark Paullina Seed Prickly Ash Bark Red Beet Root Red Clover Tops Red Peony Root Red Sage Root Rosemary Rose Hips Berry Saw Palmetto Berry Schizandra Berry Sok-Day Root St. John's Wort Stinging Nettle Leaf Turmeric Rhizomes Uva Ursi Root Valerian Root White Willow Bark Wild Yam Root Wood Betony Leaf Wu Chi Root Yarrow Leaf Yellow Dock Root Yerba Mate Leaf Those are also linked
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POPS Design and Mathematics in Nature The findings of math among nature are endless; the possibilities for future innovations prove to be the same! http://www.abc.net.au/science/photos/mathsinnature/
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POPSCommon United States Spiders :eek: (quote)All spiders can and will bite if in danger or accidentally touched e.g. in shoes or clothing etc. Any spider bite can cause a reaction, ranging from a bee or wasp sting type bite to those requiring hospitalisation. Different people react in different ways so it is best to be cautious around all spiders and look but do not handle any spider no matter how it is classified.
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POPSMeet Japan's First Western Geisha "Sayuki denies she's a flawless example of Japan's ancient flower and willow world. "Being a geisha takes a lifetime to perfect," she deflects, as she clacks along in lacquer sandals that she wears slightly too small to make her size-8 feet look more petite. Sayuki, who was born in Melbourne, Australia, became the first foreign woman in the notoriously closed profession's 400-year history to formally debut as a geisha two years ago, in late 2007. "I've only just begun," she says. "To many of my geisha sisters, I'm still a walking disaster." Read it all here: http://www.marieclaire.com/world-reports/news/japans-western-geisha Long article, but interesting.
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