A Thorny Issue In 2007 and 2009 John Mackay and colleagues found fossils of plant stems with sharp thorny projections. Some critics have questioned whether these are really thorns. One botanist has asserted that technically these are not thorns, but spines. So let us deal with two questions: First: Would the hard pointed structures on […]
Tag: Botany
Oldest Fossil Sushi Wrap Seaweed
Oldest fossil sushi wrap seaweed found, according to reports in ScienceDaily 14 March 2017 and BBC News 15 March 2017. Therese Sallstedt of the Swedish Museum of Natural History has found some fossils she claims are; “the oldest fossil plants that we know of on Earth in the form of 1.6 billion year old red […]
Living Fossil Fruit
Living fossil fruit found, as reported in BBC News, Science (AAAS) News and ScienceDaily 5 January 2017, and Science, doi:10.1126/science.aag2737, 6 January 2017. Lantern fruit are member of the genus Phytalis and include tomatillos and ground cherries. They are named “lanterns” because their berries are surrounded by a papery calyx, very like cape gooseberries. Researchers […]
Plant Roots See the Light
Plant roots see the light, according to reports in ScienceDaily 3 November 2016, and Science Signalling, doi: 10.1126/scisignal.aaf6530, 1 November 2016. Light is a source of energy for plants, and is also a stimulus for plants to grow and develop. In order to detect changes in the light environment plants have photoreceptors that detect light […]