How a butterfly tree becomes a web
Evolution is often portrayed as a tree, with new species branching off from existing lineages, never again to meet. The truth however is often much messier. In the case of adaptive radiation, in which species diversify rapidly to fill different ecolo.....»»
This scientist is the lizard king, and he just found another one from the age of dinosaurs
Aaron Bauer has traveled the world in search of lizards, logging more than 2 million miles in his quest to identify new species and determine how they fit into the tree of life. He has made more than 100 trips to southern Africa alone......»»
Forest canopy covers "obviously" underestimated by current assessments, researchers find
Satellite mapping, bolstered by algorithmic assessment, provides an indispensable view of Earth's canopy covering. The fraction of ground covered by tree crowns serves as a critical parameter for measuring forest ecosystems and potential carbon sinks.....»»
Preserved in tree resin: Bees became extinct before they were discovered
Together with an international team, Senckenberg scientist Dr. Mónica M. Solórzano Kraemer studied stingless bees from East Africa that were encased in tree resin and copal. In their study, published in the journal The Holocene, the researchers des.....»»
New plant-derived composite is tough as bone and hard as aluminum
The strongest part of a tree lies not in its trunk or its sprawling roots, but in the walls of its microscopic cells......»»
Cautiously optimistic: Study looks for riskiest tree disease spreaders, finds none
Scientists seek answers through research, but sometimes, a lack of findings can be good news. A recent University of Florida-led study involving tree diseases uncovered no remarkable threats to common Southeastern United States trees, and the lead re.....»»
Using butterfly morphology to 3D print colored nanostructures
ETH Zurich researchers have created artificial colors by 3D printing certain nanostructures inspired by those of a butterfly. This principle can be used in the future to produce color screens......»»
[Photos] Mighty 2023 Toyota Sequoia Brings the Big Wood
Toyota has revealed the all-new 2023 Sequoia, and you know what? It’s a real tree-t. Get it? Because a sequoia is a tree, and it’s like treat but with … ah, you get it. Leading the Way: Toyota offers an expansive portfolio of alternative fuel v.....»»
What does lightning actually do to a tree?
The huge storms many Australians have experienced recently have damaged or toppled old trees which had withstood the vagaries of our weather for the past century or more......»»
Treasure in tree rings: Using untapped tree ring data to calculate carbon sequestration
Having a solid estimate of the amount of carbon that forests can pull from the atmosphere is essential for global accounting of climate change—leaders are counting on forests to pull a good chunk of human-produced carbon back to earth. But in reali.....»»
Microbes making tree methane "farts" in ghost forests are in the soils, study shows
A new study from North Carolina State University shows that methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is largely generated in the soils below standing dead trees in so-called ghost forests, or coastal forests that are being killed off by rising sea levels. .....»»
Global Count Estimates Earth Has 73,000 Tree Species, 14% More Than Reported
There are an estimated 73,300 species of tree on Earth, 9,000 of which have yet to be discovered, according to a global count of tree species by thousands of researchers who used second world war codebreaking techniques created at Bletchley Park to e.....»»
Thousands of Tree Species Remain Unknown to Science
New research suggests there are 14 percent more tree species out there than previously believed -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
Number of Earth"s tree species estimated to be 14% higher than currently known, with 9,200 species yet to be discovered
A new study involving more than 100 scientists from across the globe and the largest forest database yet assembled estimates that there are about 73,000 tree species on Earth, including about 9,200 species yet to be discovered......»»
How climate change shaped the Amazon"s land and life
The Amazon basin is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet; its nearly 8 million square kilometers (3 million square miles) may be home to as many as 10 percent of the world's species. Under the Amazon's renowned tree canopy, the meandering.....»»
Image: Crater "tree rings" on Mars
This feature could easily be mistaken for a tree stump with characteristic concentric rings. It's actually an impressive birds-eye view into an ice-rich impact crater on Mars. Tree rings provide snapshots of Earth's past climate and, although formed.....»»
Amber fossil reveals new clues about ancient cockroach ecology
Researchers at Hokkaido University have revealed new insights into an extinct cockroach species by studying the sensory organs of a specimen preserved in the fossilized tree resin known as amber. Their findings, which were published in the journal Th.....»»
Seed production and recruitment of juvenile trees affect how trees are migrating due to climate change
A new study co-authored by Jonathan Myers, associate professor of biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, provides key insights into how and why tree populations migrate in response to climate change at the continental scale.....»»
With fewer animals to spread their seeds, plants may have trouble adapting to climate change
Picture a mature, broad-branched tree like an oak, maple or fig. How does it reproduce so that its offspring don't grow up in its shadow, fighting for light?.....»»
Ambitious tree planting goals in Asia lack diverse tree seeds from native species
Four Asian countries—the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and India—aim to restore 47.5 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. This is roughly equal to the size of Sumatra, Indonesia's third biggest island......»»
Ancient Peruvians partied hard, spiked their beer with hallucinogens to win friends
If you lived in the Central Andes circa 850 CE, you definitely wanted to party with the Wari. Enlarge / A vessel from the Wari site of Conchopata features the tree and its tell-tale seed pods sprouting from the head of the Staff God. (.....»»