Although the ants often mutualize with seed dispersals for plants, they rarely participate in pollination. More often than not, when it comes to flowers, the ants negatively affect crops that act as nectar thieves and scare away with their aggressive presence of legitimate pollinators. Therefore, it is useful for nectar plants to develop mechanisms that […]
Watermelons first appeared about 5,000 years ago in South Africa, and there are still many wild varieties, from sweet to bland and bitter. They spread out and were cultivated by the year 2000 BC and became a common food in ancient Egypt. The hieroglyphs on buildings from that time telling stories of watermelons are one […]
It has now been 175 years since anaesthesia was used on humans, but we still don’t know much about its mechanism. It was introduced to serve a medical purpose, but an anaesthetic drug’s effects on the nervous system are not apparent. We, as curious human beings, want to know the reason behind it. Well, researchers […]
How Root Exudates Play a Major Role in Plant Survival One of the most interesting things about nature is the study of how plants have evolved defence mechanisms to contend with a harsh and unforgiving environment. Like all living things, plants must constantly defend themselves against predators, parasites, harmful bacteria, and other threats. They have […]
Considered one of the finest natural things that come in a little package, Finger Limes, scientifically known as Citrus australasica, are unique fruits that belong to the Rue family. Although it is not a part of citrus, the fruit is related to genus Microcitrus. The plant is native to Australia, usually to its subtropical rainforest. The […]
Tree Peony is one of the largest flowers. Though it is a little shrub that is only 10 feet high, but the tree peony flowers are disproportionately large. Some can even be more than 20 inches in diameter. Marco Polo is said to have called peonies “roses as big as cabbages.” In China, peony paintings […]
Meet the Tital Arum, which has the largest inflorescence in the world! Just like Rafflesia, it has an odor or a rotting corpse and hence the name – Corpse flower. The plant’s inflorescence reaches to over 10 ft in height and consists of a fragrant spadix/group of flowers wrapped by a large petal. The “fragrance” […]
Most people, when they feel sick, pop a chemical pill or a pack of it and wait for the sickness to fade for the time being. But do you realize that the thing that you just gulped down your throat might have significant side-effects? It may give temporary cure but can rile up your body for […]