Plant Cuttings Burning trees? Give me a break… The high flammability of plant material, fuelled by photosynthesis and oxygen production, poses a significant problem, especially in wildfires. Nigel Chaffey 02 Feb 2016
Plant Cuttings Coping with phenol-rich foodstuffs Researchers discovered that earthworms produce drilodefensins, metabolites that counteract the inhibitory effects of polyphenols on their gut enzymes, enabling them to digest these well-defended leaves. Nigel Chaffey 26 Jan 2016
Plant Cuttings Noble plant wins Nobel Prize! A lack of a Nobel prize in Biology makes botanical Nobel prizes rare. Nigel Chaffey 19 Jan 2016
Plant Cuttings All’s fir in love and war Nigel Chaffey discovers there is a fountain of youth, but only if you’re a firebug. Nigel Chaffey 12 Jan 2016
Plant Cuttings Location, Location, Location [Or, Why rice is thrice as nice (maybe…)] Nigel Chaffey 29 Dec 2015
Plant Cuttings Grounds for climate change optimism? Waste coffee grounds can be treated to create a material with a high capacity for methane storage, potentially providing a renewable energy source. Nigel Chaffey 15 Dec 2015
Plant Cuttings Altruistic plants? Do faba beans altruistically help maize plants? Nigel Chaffey 08 Dec 2015
Plant Cuttings Plant Science at the leading edge Trichomes that are not aligned in a regular pattern on the leaves might help protect them from herbivores. Nigel Chaffey 01 Dec 2015