Plant Cuttings
2013, International Year of the Wallace(?)
If 2009 ‘belonged’ to Charles Darwin then, if there’s any justice in the world, 2013 has to be ‘owned’ by Alfred Russel Wallace.
Plant Cuttings
Water
Rounding off our look at the elements, like other biota plants need water to live. If insufficiently hydrated they will suspend life activities (at best) or
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Air
Continuing with my elemental theme of recent posts, when air is mentioned then the atmosphere ought to be one of the first things to come to
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Fire
Picking up on my elemental theme, fire has long been considered a major influence on evolution of the angiosperms, whether natural or anthropogenic conflagrations. This incendiary
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Humour me…
Many of the Ancients believed that all things were composed of four ‘elements’ – earth, fire, air and water. Although we generally ‘believe’ differently today (after all,
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Earth
As any self-respecting Frenchman (i.e. those who remain citizens of France and who pay their taxes) will tell you, the basis of a good
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Phytonumeracy
Echoing a plea from Ron Milo and Robert Last that computational methods [which is sort of ‘math(s)’…] should be used to gain deeper understanding of
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Current research in sweet potato…
Although some way removed from the manic antics of an ambitious medic named Dr Frankenstein (the sort of Creationist who gives ‘Intelligent Design’ a bad name…
Plant Cuttings
Nanoparticles may compromise crops
Advances (ever an optimistic notion!) in technology take many forms and may have unanticipated consequences. Take, for example, the emerging discipline of nanotechnology, which works with
Plant Cuttings
This one could run and run (and run…)
‘What would scientists learn if they could run studies that lasted for hundreds or thousands of years—or more?’. In other words, rather than being forced
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Junior science: that shrinking feeling…
We often bemoan the fact that we know neither whither nor whence will come the next generation of plant scientists (e.g. Sinéad Drea). Well, here’
Plant Cuttings
Black = white + grey(!?)
No, not messing with colours, but a reference to Silvia Vezzulli et al.’s work on Pinot blanc and Pinot gris wine grape cultivars. The team