Related topics: genes · plants

Scientists solve a thorny problem

"Why do plants have thorns?" is an easy question: The thorns help protect against hungry animals that like to munch on the plants. "Where do thorns come from?" is a more complicated question—but Yale scientists have found ...

Being small has its advantages, if you are a leaf

(PhysOrg.com) -- The size of leaves can vary by a factor of 1,000 across plant species, but until now, the reason why has remained a mystery. A new study by an international team of scientists led by UCLA life scientists ...

Pitcher plants 'switch off' traps to capture more ants

Insect-eating pitcher plants temporarily 'switch off' their traps in order to lure more prey into danger, new research from the University of Bristol, UK, and the University of Cambridge, UK, has found.

A pitcher perfect relationship

(PhysOrg.com) -- It seems counterintuitive, but in rare cases carnivorous plants and herbivorous animals nourish each other in a mutually beneficial relationship.

Le Rouge et le Noir: Where the black dahlia gets its color

The molecular mechanisms whereby a spectrum of dahlias, from white to yellow to red to purple, get their colour are already well known, but the black dahlia has hitherto remained a mystery. Now, a study published in BioMed ...

A T-Rex of an idea: Dinosaur milk?

(Phys.org)—Did dinosaurs lactate? It's a question physiology expert Professor Paul Else has been pondering for years –15 years in fact.

Virus genes help determine if pea aphids get their wings

Many of an organism's traits are influenced by cues from the organism's environment. These features are known as phenotypically plastic traits and are important in allowing an organism to cope with unpredictable environments.

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