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POPSSneaky Orchid Drives Wasps Wild A study in the journal Current Biology finds that an orchid mimics the alarm chemical signal of bees to attract the bees' predatory wasps, all to get the wasps to pollinate the orchids.
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POPSSacred plants of the Maya forest more (through link): "By determining what plants were of importance to the ancient Maya, it is my hope that identified plants can be further studied for pharmaceutical, culinary, economic and ceremonial uses. More should be done to conserve large tracts of forest in order to properly study theses plants for their value to mankind," he continues. "This research has already been of interest to pharmaceutical companies that are looking to extract alkaloids from plants that were important to the ancient Maya."
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POPSWhat’s So Hot About Chili Peppers? Bolivia is believed to be the chili's motherland, home to dozens of wild species that may be the ancestors of all the world's chili varieties—from the mild bell pepper to the medium jalapeño to the rough-skinned naga jolokia, the hottest pepper ever tested. The heat-generating compound in chilies, capsaicin, has long been known to affect taste buds, nerve cells and nasal membranes (it puts the sting in pepper spray). But its function in wild chili plants has been mysterious.
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POPSEncyclopedia of Life - by the World's Leading Scientists An epic effort to promote biodiversity and document all 1.8 million named species on the planet. When completed, http://www.eol.org will serve as a global biodiversity tool, providing scientists, policymakers, students, and citizens information they need to discover and protect the planet and encourage learning and conservation. The Encyclopedia of Life is a collaborative scientific effort led by the Field Museum of Natural History, Harvard University, Marine Biological Laboratory, Missouri Botanical Garden, Smithsonian Institution, and Biodiversity Heritage Library, a consortium including the core institutions and also the American Museum of Natural History (New York), Natural History Museum (London), New York Botanical Garden, and Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew).
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POPSAllergy Botany Researchers "Airborne allergies affect millions of Americans. It's a fact. And the cause of all this suffering can be linked to the plants and trees around us. Researchers and sufferers are actively seeking information and relief. Tens of thousands of people depend on Pollen.com every day for up to date allergy forecasts from our web site and our Allergy Alert emails."
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POPSBizarre Botany As a biology student in college I've always found plants fascinating. In most cases, size is not an advantage. At least in the aroma department. On the plus side, it does serve the plant well!
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POPSTomato: Fruit or Vegetable In fact, in 1893 the Supreme Court of the United Stated curiously decreed the tomato a vegetable, although recognizing that botanically speaking it is a fruit. This unusual declaration was based on the existence of an 1883 tariff that charged ten percent on imported vegetables, including tomatoes. A frustrated tomato importer decided to challenge the tariff, arguing that tomatoes were actually a fruit and thus should be excluded from the vegetable tariff. The Supreme Court agreed that tomatoes were botanically a fruit, but argued that they were commonly grown in kitchen gardens with vegetables and treated as vegetables in markets and American households. In other words, the United States Government wanted its tariff money—the heck with botany!
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