Ecosystems
The Secret Life of Nectar: How Colour and Chemistry Shape Plant–Pollinator Relationships
Have you ever wondered what’s inside a flower? It might look delicate and simple, but inside, they are busy running a secret operation.
The Week in Botany
The Week in Botany June 30, 2025
This week: Rocío Deanna on the importance of staying curious, the switch to agriculture in the Andes was neither fast nor furious, how caterpillars can be so injurious, and more…
Plants & People
Early Agriculture Was About Innovation Not Desperation
Isotope analysis reveals agricultural transition in the Andes was marked by remarkable stability, not the crisis archaeologists long assumed drove farming elsewhere.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Caterpillars Deploy Molecular Sabotage Against Plants
Scientists have discovered caterpillars inject chemical weapons into plants that shut down defences before they can even form.
Ecosystems
Desert cities get powerful tree shade but miss out on the cooling effect that works elsewhere
Las Vegas trees create 17°C shade oases but can’t cool city air like temperate climates due to desert adaptations that limit transpiration.
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Rocío Deanna: Tracing Plant Diversity from Fossils to Ecosystems
Botany One interviews Dr Rocío Deanna, an Argentinian botanist fascinated by the evolution of the Solanaceae family.
The Week in Botany
The Week in Botany June 23, 2025
This week, extreme weather in the Amazon, extreme control of agriculture, David Alors on the challenges of expeditions, and more…
Growth & Development
The Best Way to Farm on the Moon Uses Barely Any Fertiliser
Adding tiny amounts of organic waste transforms sterile lunar dust into farmland, but the secret lies in managing competing bacterial communities around plant roots.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Why won’t your African Violets stay the same colour?
Your colour-changing African violets aren’t misbehaving. They’re using sophisticated molecular switches that regulate their genes.
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David Alors: Exploring Symbiosis, Evolution and the Secrets of Lichens
Botany One interviews Dr David Alors, a Spanish researcher fascinated by the systematics and evolution of lichens.
Ecosystems
Wet Gets Wetter, Dry Gets Drier in the Amazon Rainforest
As seasons get more extreme in the Amazon, weather patterns will shift across South America, threatening both indigenous communities and economic stability.
The Week in Botany
The Week in Botany June 16, 2025
This week, we have primroses in the rough, plants growing tough, midnight science in the botany lab, and more.