Plants and Animals

Those of us who live and vacation in Harpswell agree we are fortunate to be in such a beautiful place: the peaceful views, the hiking trails, the water access, the outdoor fun. But there are barriers to maintaining that beauty. Among them is the proliferation of invasive plants. Invasive plants come to us from other countries or regions. Without natural …

Twelve years ago, Marissa Engoy, owner of the plant business Good Morning, Cactus, suffered a miscarriage. For days, she struggled to get out of bed. That’s when a friend brought her some succulents as a gift. She’d never seen a succulent before that day, but was drawn to their adorable, chubby, cartoon-like appearance. “I never really cared about plants before, …

Working with Arabidopsis thaliana, a model organism, researchers at Michigan State University revealed the biomolecular controls of one of the systems that reglates cell death and plant health. Credit: Kara Headley/MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory Michigan State University researchers have made a discovery that could help turn a natural kill switch in plant cells into a “life switch” that helps crops …

Select U.S. restaurants have begun serving laboratory-grown chicken, spurring long wait times for reservations by diners curious to taste it. In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave final approval for a few California-based companies to begin selling lab-produced chicken across the country. While it may be years before lab-grown meat is available at grocery stores, a handful of states …

Starfield biomes and the ‘biome complete’ messages can be confusing, especially if you haven’t hit 100% on a survey and still have plants and animals to find. The system isn’t that complicated, but it is down to you to work out, which can mean some trial and error while you piece it all together. I’ve surveyed a ton of planets …

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) organised a series of technical workshops over three days, from 22nd to 24th August 2023, to review the details of its strategic projects under the Biosecurity Programme, with the participation of several local and federal authorities. The workshops reviewed the details of the Biosecurity Programme’s eight strategic projects being implemented …

Audubon Community Nature Center’s Little Explorers learn about “Fungi” on Saturday morning, September 9. After an indoor lesson, they will explore outdoors to see what they can discover. Fungi includes molds, mushrooms and toadstools. Area residents are invited to join the 3 to 8-year-old Little Explorers and their favorite adults learning about fungi on Saturday, Sept. …

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The Green Planet, Dubai’s only indoor tropical rainforest is taking guests into the fascinating world of predatory plants with the launch of the Middle East’s first Carnivorous Plants exhibit from 31st August 2023. Joining The Green Planet’s plant kingdom are some of the world’s most extraordinary bug-eating including the Pitcher Plant, Venus FlyTrap and Sundew Plant. …

They don’t bark or bite, but some do have sharp teeth and interesting bark. Step aside, tigers and polar bears, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has a plant collection that some might consider just as interesting as its critters. For the past 17 years, the zoo’s lead horticulturalist, Bryon Jones, has been transforming the 29-acre zoo into a garden of …

Explore Cyclones, tsunamis, floods, and tornadoes are devastating for humans, animals, plants, and buildings, leaving destruction and often death in their wake. But what we don’t often consider is how such disasters impact microbial communities and what that can mean for the ecosystems they inhabit. As extreme storms, wildfires, and other natural disasters become more common with climate change, how …