Articles for category: Paleontology, Plants

The U.S. Forest Older Than the Pyramids

The U.S. Forest Older Than the Pyramids

Jan Otte

Deep beneath the bustling modern world of upstate New York lies one of Earth’s most remarkable secrets. You walk past it every day without knowing it exists, but what you’re passing over represents a chapter of life so ancient it predates dinosaurs by hundreds of millions of years. This isn’t just any forest – it’s ...

a close up of a plant in a pot

Plants That Eat Meat — And Why They Turned to the Dark Side

Maria Faith Saligumba

In the quiet corners of bogs, swamps, and nutrient-poor soils around the world, a botanical revolution took place millions of years ago. While most plants were content with sunlight and water, some decided to break the ultimate taboo of the plant kingdom. They became predators, developing elaborate traps and deadly enzymes to capture, kill, and ...

resurrection plant

The Resurrection Plants: How Some Species Come Back to Life After Droughts

Annette Uy

Imagine a plant that appears to be withered and lifeless, only to spring back to life with the first drops of rain. This is not a scene from a fantasy novel, but a real-life phenomenon observed in nature. Known as “resurrection plants,” these remarkable species have captured the fascination of scientists and nature enthusiasts alike. ...

a bunch of white flowers that are on a tree

Plants of the Occult: The Surprising Science Behind Witchcraft Ingredients

Maria Faith Saligumba

For centuries, practitioners of witchcraft have turned to the natural world for their most potent ingredients, creating mysterious brews and potions from plants that seem to possess supernatural powers. But what if these ancient practices weren’t just superstition? What if there’s actually solid science behind the seemingly mystical properties of these botanical ingredients? Modern research ...

Ice Age Survivors: Plants That Endured Earth's Harshest Winters

Ice Age Survivors: Plants That Endured Earth’s Harshest Winters

Annette Uy

Imagine stepping into a world where glaciers stretched across continents, temperatures plummeted to bone-chilling extremes, and most life forms faced extinction. Yet somehow, against all odds, certain plants not only survived but thrived through multiple ice ages spanning millions of years. These botanical survivors represent some of the most remarkable examples of adaptation and resilience ...

The Tree That Can Clone Itself for Thousands of Years

The Tree That Can Clone Itself for Thousands of Years

Andrew Alpin

You walk through what appears to be an ordinary forest, towering trees swaying gently in the breeze. The peaceful scene conceals one of nature’s most extraordinary secrets. These aren’t individual trees at all. Instead, you’re standing within a single living organism that has been quietly cloning , possibly predating entire human civilizations. This phenomenon isn’t ...

Citrus Groves

Florida’s Dying Citrus Groves: The Tiny Insect Behind a Billion-Dollar Threat

Annette Uy

In the sun-drenched fields of Florida, where citrus groves once flourished, a formidable adversary has emerged. This adversary is not a natural disaster or economic downturn but an insect no larger than the tip of a pencil. The Asian citrus psyllid, a seemingly inconspicuous creature, has become the bane of Florida’s citrus industry. Its destructive ...

The 6 Ways Humans Have Changed the Food Chain (Without Meaning To)

The 6 Ways Humans Have Changed the Food Chain (Without Meaning To)

Trizzy Orozco

We’ve all heard the saying “you are what you eat,” but what happens when what we eat fundamentally changes? For millions of years, nature’s food chains operated like perfectly orchestrated symphonies, with each species playing its part in an intricate dance of survival. Then humans arrived on the scene, and without even realizing it, we ...

Resurrection Plants: How Some Leaves Die and Come Back to Life

Resurrection Plants: How Some Leaves Die and Come Back to Life

Annette Uy

Imagine watching a plant completely dry up, its leaves turning brown and crispy like autumn debris, only to witness it spring back to vibrant green life with just a few drops of water. This isn’t science fiction or a botanical magic trick – it’s the incredible reality of resurrection plants, nature’s ultimate survivors that have ...