May 24, 2013

fastcompany:

Plastics like styrofoam currently take up between 25%-30% of our landfill space, and a single cubic foot of styrofoam has the same energy content as about one and a half liters of gasoline. 

College pals Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre established Ecovative, which grows cost-effective alternatives to plastic insulation and packaging. While they were students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Bayer and McIntyre experimented with mycelium, the network of vegetative filaments in mushrooms, and realized that it could be used to form incredibly strong bonds. Essentially, the substance functions like a glue that you can grow and use to form agricultural byproducts like plant stalks and seed husks into natural alternatives to styrofoam packaging and insulation. 

Our “mushroom guy” Roy Halling brought me samples of this stuff a few months back when a story about an artist using mycelium to make furniture was making the Tumblr rounds. It feels a little funny, but is unquestionably strong and versatile and a fantastic way forward towards replacing plastics. ~AR

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Filed under: Mushrooms Mycelium Ecovative RPI Mycology Science 
May 16, 2013

uglytomatoes:

jojoworksout:

isnaberoman:

-My Nerdy Nerdiness expresses itself :)

As a chemist, this makes me smile!

Huh, kinda interesting in a “I have no idea what this means” sort of way.

I will admit to having looked a few of these up to be sure I was interpreting them correctly. What you see are the chemical formulas of various substances used to mimic plant-based aromas and flavors. Pretty, and pretty neat. ~AR

(Source: kilikilipowers)

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Filed under: Organic Chemistry Botany Science Flavorings Aromas Plants Spices 
May 14, 2013
mothernaturenetwork: Mystery of ‘junk DNA’ solved The findings suggest junk DNA really isn’t needed for healthy plants — and that may also hold for other organisms. Sometimes junk really is just junk. For years, geneticists have tried to determine whether the vast majority of an organism’s DNA—an assortment of so-called junk DNA that seems to serve no purpose—does indeed serve a purpose. Now, thanks to a study published in the journal Nature analyzing the genome of the carnivorous bladderwort, Utricularia gibba, researchers look set to declare the adage true. Far from playing some crucial and mysterious role in the well-being of the plant, it looks like junk DNA really is just junk.  The mystery remains however as to why some organisms have fairly bloated genomes while others have svelte, relatively junk-free ones. Research is, much like a bladderwort, a living process, so it’s entirely possible that new studies will reverse this one in due time. It’s one of the things that makes science exciting, isn’t it? ~AR

mothernaturenetwork:

Mystery of ‘junk DNA’ solved

The findings suggest junk DNA really isn’t needed for healthy plants — and that may also hold for other organisms.

Sometimes junk really is just junk. For years, geneticists have tried to determine whether the vast majority of an organism’s DNA—an assortment of so-called junk DNA that seems to serve no purpose—does indeed serve a purpose. Now, thanks to a study published in the journal Nature analyzing the genome of the carnivorous bladderwort, Utricularia gibba, researchers look set to declare the adage true. Far from playing some crucial and mysterious role in the well-being of the plant, it looks like junk DNA really is just junk. 

The mystery remains however as to why some organisms have fairly bloated genomes while others have svelte, relatively junk-free ones. Research is, much like a bladderwort, a living process, so it’s entirely possible that new studies will reverse this one in due time. It’s one of the things that makes science exciting, isn’t it? ~AR

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Filed under: Science Botany Junk DNA Genetics Genomes Bladderwort 
May 12, 2013
So the headline on this story is indulging in a wee bit of hyperbole. Valley Fever, an illness caused by the fungus coccidioidomycosis, isn’t quite ravaging the ranks of Major League Baseball yet (only two players have come down with it), but there is always the possibility that one day it can. Valley Fever is caused when people breathe in the spores of this fungus which thrives in hot, dry areas like the areas in Arizona where many MLB teams have spring training camps. And there’s been a real uptick in cases recently. On the surface it would seem that climate change would be the most obvious reason behind it’s uptick, but some experts think a more likely cause is the Sun Belt’s economic growth. As populations grow and development and building increase, so too does disruption to the ecosystem. ~AR (via Valley Fever Throws Baseball a Curve: Scientific American)

So the headline on this story is indulging in a wee bit of hyperbole. Valley Fever, an illness caused by the fungus coccidioidomycosis, isn’t quite ravaging the ranks of Major League Baseball yet (only two players have come down with it), but there is always the possibility that one day it can.

Valley Fever is caused when people breathe in the spores of this fungus which thrives in hot, dry areas like the areas in Arizona where many MLB teams have spring training camps. And there’s been a real uptick in cases recently. On the surface it would seem that climate change would be the most obvious reason behind it’s uptick, but some experts think a more likely cause is the Sun Belt’s economic growth. As populations grow and development and building increase, so too does disruption to the ecosystem. ~AR

(via Valley Fever Throws Baseball a Curve: Scientific American)

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Filed under: Fungus Fungal Diseases Valley Fever Major League Baseball Sports Botany Science Development Climate Change 
May 12, 2013
Flowers and plants have long been used as medicine, a topic we are covering in our newest exhibition, Wild Medicine: Healing Plants From Around the World. But, it looks like plants can sometimes use a little medicine themselves. In fact some enterprising researcher out there has determined that cut flowers can benefit from the same drug—and achieve similar results—as a popular little blue pill for men.  I’d love to know the story behind the origin for this study. If anyone knows, please, let us know! ~AR (via Viagra helps flowers last twice as long, study says - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com)

Flowers and plants have long been used as medicine, a topic we are covering in our newest exhibition, Wild Medicine: Healing Plants From Around the World. But, it looks like plants can sometimes use a little medicine themselves. In fact some enterprising researcher out there has determined that cut flowers can benefit from the same drug—and achieve similar results—as a popular little blue pill for men. 

I’d love to know the story behind the origin for this study. If anyone knows, please, let us know! ~AR

(via Viagra helps flowers last twice as long, study says - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com)

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Filed under: Viagra Pharmaceutcials Botany Cut Flowers You Just Never Know Science 
May 8, 2013

astronomy-to-zoology:

Happy Birthday to David Attenborough!!

87 years and still going strong!

A very happy birthday to one of our very favorite naturalists! ~AR & MN

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Filed under: David Attenborough Nature Plants Animals Science 
May 7, 2013
"Bussmann’s work to develop crops from Plukenetia species seems to go beyond the traditional role of a scientist. But Ina Vandebroek, an ethnobotanist at the New York Botanical Garden, says that it is typical of the field. “Ethnobotanists should also have a social responsibility. Our task is not just to record knowledge and publish it in science papers, but to give something back to the people you are working with.” Crop development can be one way to do that."

— Amazon plant discovery could yield green cash crop : Nature News & Comment

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Filed under: Ethnobotany Botany Peruvian Amazon Plants Science Omega 3 Fatty Acids Cash Crops Agriculture Sustainable Agriculture 
May 5, 2013
"The results were striking. When the scientists dragged the barberry sites, they found 140 infected ticks per acre. Where they killed the barberry, they found only 40 ticks. And when they dragged places that were free of barberry, they found only ten."

—

This excellent, excellent article by Carl Zimmer is not for the faint of heart or thin of skin. I read the whole thing through and by the end had scratched welts into my arms and legs—despite the fact that when a tick is attached you will not feel it. This piece will make you feel covered in itches.

Tick-borne diseases are the price that is paid by many in the northeast who enjoy spending time outdoors. I don’t know a hiker, gardener, or hammock loafer who hasn’t had at least one run-in with a tick. And pretty much everyone I know has had at least one Lyme disease scare.

And we all know who to blame, right? Deer. Mice. Maybe the pet dog. But Japanese barberry? That’s a new one by me. Japanese barberry, Berberis thunbergii, is an invasive plant brought to the United States in the late-19th century as an ornamental plant, but it soon jumped the garden walls and made its way across the northeast’s verdant forests where it grows in giant umbrella-like clumps, spreading across the ground as the arching branches touch the ground. And it turns out to be the perfect environment for ticks to live.

Ticks require humidity to survive. The life cycle of a tick is far more complicated than I could ever have imagined, and kind of makes them even more disgusting than I already thought them. If you spend any time outdoors in the northeast, take the 30-40 minutes it will take you to read this article. It’s fascinating and helpful. Sorry about the itching, though. ~AR

The Complex and Pathogen-Laden World of Ticks | Science | OutsideOnline.com

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Filed under: Ticks Tick-Borne Diseases Lyme Disease Japanes Barberry Science Carl Zimmer Infectious Diseases Invasive Plants 
April 25, 2013

Jessica M. Clarke is the Garden’s Associate Curator of Glasshouse Collections. She’s also a woman that knows how to coordinate her nails with truly cool orchid species. She recently sent me these photos of an African miniature orchid on display in the orchid display case in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory’s Cloud Forest house. Aside from looking cool Bulbophyllum falcatum is “interesting because it’s rachis is very wide as compared to the size of its’ flowers … it appears as though the flowers are emerging from a paddle-shaped leaf.” And there’s your useless piece of trivia for the next boring cocktail party you find yourself at! ~AR

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Filed under: Orchids miniature orchids nail art Enid A. Haupt Conservatory The New York Botancial Garden Botany Plants Plant terms Science 
April 24, 2013

Did you catch the Garden, last year’s summer exhibition Monet’s Garden, and NYBG scientist Amy Litt this on CBS News Sunday Morning talking about flower power and the amazing science of plant “feelings”? No? Well that’s okay, because you can watch it now and learn all about how plants know that their neighbors are hurt, how flowers know when to open, and how venus flytraps know when to snap shut. But don’t worry vegetarians, you don’t have to worry about eating plants now, too. It turns out they can’t feel that much! ~AR

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Filed under: Plants CBS Sunday Morning Botany Science Flowers Gardening The New York Botanical Garden Amy Litt NYBG Scientists 
April 24, 2013
Lytro Light Field Photography at the 2013 Orchid Show

I received the Lytro camera yesterday at the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium. I am interested in using it for photographing plant specimens that require broad depth of field, but I could not resist giving it a test drive at the 2013 Orchid Show.

Click the image to change the focal point. Double click to zoom in and out.

Submitted by Michael Bevens, Information Manager for Digitization, Herbarium

Learn more about digital imaging and herbaria.

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Filed under: Lytro Camera Photography Digital Photography herbariums Herbarium Specimens Depth of Field orchidshow Orchids Digital Imaging Archival Imaging Flowers Science Submission 
April 23, 2013
Thirsty Trees make Thirsty Sounds The sputter of a straw slurping up the last of your favorite drink is a sound both annoying to your friends and disappointing to you. But, as it turns out,  it’s not something relegated to the human experience. Scientists from Grenoble University in France have discovered that parched trees aren’t quiet about their discontent, either. Quite the opposite, in fact. When the soil underneath runs dry, the specialized “straws” within the trees’ anatomy—known as xylem—make their need known with near-inaudible noises. And with the right acoustic equipment, scientists think groundskeepers and forest rangers will soon have the wherewithal to know when a tree is going thirsty. They’ll just have to listen for that tell-tale sputter. —MN

Thirsty Trees make Thirsty Sounds

The sputter of a straw slurping up the last of your favorite drink is a sound both annoying to your friends and disappointing to you. But, as it turns out,  it’s not something relegated to the human experience.

Scientists from Grenoble University in France have discovered that parched trees aren’t quiet about their discontent, either. Quite the opposite, in fact.

When the soil underneath runs dry, the specialized “straws” within the trees’ anatomy—known as xylem—make their need known with near-inaudible noises. And with the right acoustic equipment, scientists think groundskeepers and forest rangers will soon have the wherewithal to know when a tree is going thirsty. They’ll just have to listen for that tell-tale sputter. —MN

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Filed under: Science Drought trees plants Climate Change 
April 23, 2013
There’s no denying it, we love Victoria waterlilies and can’t wait for the balmy days of August and these botanical behemoths to return. But I wasn’t aware that our love was matched—and perhaps surpassed—by the Victorian populace. I can’t wait to dig into this new book documenting their discovery and the obsession surrounding them in Victorian England. ~AR (via A vegetable wonder! | OUPblog)

There’s no denying it, we love Victoria waterlilies and can’t wait for the balmy days of August and these botanical behemoths to return. But I wasn’t aware that our love was matched—and perhaps surpassed—by the Victorian populace. I can’t wait to dig into this new book documenting their discovery and the obsession surrounding them in Victorian England. ~AR

(via A vegetable wonder! | OUPblog)

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Filed under: Victoria regia Victoria waterlilies Waterlilies Victorian England Plants Exploration Science Queen Victoria Summer 
April 21, 2013
“We’re not going to have healthy impatiens in the East for a while,” she said. That bed of impatiens might look good now because it’s been sprayed with fungicides, but by June or so, it could well collapse. Sorry folks, that impatiens downy mildew problem is still around, and looking to get worse. Here’s a selection of alternatives from the New York Times. (via A Pox on Your Flowers - NYTimes.com)

“We’re not going to have healthy impatiens in the East for a while,” she said. That bed of impatiens might look good now because it’s been sprayed with fungicides, but by June or so, it could well collapse.

Sorry folks, that impatiens downy mildew problem is still around, and looking to get worse. Here’s a selection of alternatives from the New York Times.

(via A Pox on Your Flowers - NYTimes.com)

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Filed under: Impatiens Shade-Tolerant Plants Plants Science Downy Mildew Annuals 
April 17, 2013
“Mining” Gold with Plants Mining has always fallen within the purview of a bold set—grizzled prospectors hunting gold in California, conglomerates with heavy machinery digging coal in Pennsylvania. It’s a dirty, often dangerous, and certainly destructive business. Now scientists think that they can come up with a new, more passive means of attaining valuable earthen materials, even if only industrially. Enter botanical science. Like the pennycress plants mentioned in a previous post, “hyperaccumulators” have shown valuable potential for sucking up pollutants from toxic soil. The scope of their appetite can include metals like zinc, cadmium, and nickel. But what if we could use plants to net unseen particles of gold from ground soil? It’s called “phytomining,” and the idea is making the rounds. The process isn’t as easy as it sounds; scientists have to essentially liquefy the gold using worrisome ground chemicals to make it happen (and probably nullifying many of the environmental benefits we’d see from getting gold particulate in this manner). But they argue that the benefits of using this on already-polluted mining sites could outweigh the negatives. And as explored curiosity goes, it’s at least an interesting concept. Click through for more. —MN

“Mining” Gold with Plants

Mining has always fallen within the purview of a bold set—grizzled prospectors hunting gold in California, conglomerates with heavy machinery digging coal in Pennsylvania. It’s a dirty, often dangerous, and certainly destructive business. Now scientists think that they can come up with a new, more passive means of attaining valuable earthen materials, even if only industrially.

Enter botanical science.

Like the pennycress plants mentioned in a previous post, “hyperaccumulators” have shown valuable potential for sucking up pollutants from toxic soil. The scope of their appetite can include metals like zinc, cadmium, and nickel. But what if we could use plants to net unseen particles of gold from ground soil? It’s called “phytomining,” and the idea is making the rounds.

The process isn’t as easy as it sounds; scientists have to essentially liquefy the gold using worrisome ground chemicals to make it happen (and probably nullifying many of the environmental benefits we’d see from getting gold particulate in this manner). But they argue that the benefits of using this on already-polluted mining sites could outweigh the negatives. And as explored curiosity goes, it’s at least an interesting concept. Click through for more. —MN

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Filed under: phytomining plants botany science gold mining 
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