plants – Athens Science Observer https://athensscienceobserver.com A Closer Look at the Science Around Us Thu, 28 Oct 2021 21:21:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://i1.wp.com/athensscienceobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cropped-eye512.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 plants – Athens Science Observer https://athensscienceobserver.com 32 32 94425623 Why is it spicy? https://athensscienceobserver.com/2021/10/28/why-is-it-spicy/ Thu, 28 Oct 2021 21:21:17 +0000 https://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=11420 You look down at the ramen in front of you. The aroma is enticing, smelling of cinnamon, turmeric, and chilies. As the sauce enters your mouth, your eyes start to water, your nose runs, and your whole mouth is on fire, but you love it. Why? People around the world use chili peppers to enhance […]

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]]> 11420 Zine #2: A Quick Guide to the Plants of Athens https://athensscienceobserver.com/2021/09/28/zine-2-a-quick-guide-to-the-plants-of-athens/ Wed, 29 Sep 2021 02:39:16 +0000 https://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=11355 The post Zine #2: A Quick Guide to the Plants of Athens appeared first on Athens Science Observer.

]]> 11355 Botanical blackmarket: the hidden world of cycad poaching https://athensscienceobserver.com/2020/11/17/botanical-blackmarket-the-hidden-world-of-cycad-poaching/ Tue, 17 Nov 2020 15:09:51 +0000 https://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=10517 A text comes in. It reads “Meet me at the abandoned gas station past Lexington and Thomas.” The car starts up and heads down the dimly lit streets. Soon, headlights illuminate the dark gas station. There is already a truck parked behind the shuttered garage. The buyer opens their car door and steps toward the […]

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]]> 10517 The Secret World of Plant Chemistry: Plant Communication https://athensscienceobserver.com/2019/04/25/the-secret-world-of-plant-chemistry-plant-communication/ Thu, 25 Apr 2019 11:16:13 +0000 http://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=9339 Part II of the series exploring plant chemistry through different lenses. Plants are the perfect embodiments of natural selection – they can’t just get up and move; so whatever adversity they face, they generally have to stick it out. It leaves the strongest individuals to survive while the weaker ones perish. This situation warrants some […]

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]]> 9339 Growing plants in space: not just an academic adventure https://athensscienceobserver.com/2018/05/05/growing-plants-in-space-not-just-an-academic-adventure/ Sat, 05 May 2018 19:30:36 +0000 http://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=8497 On December 15, 2017, Alexander “Al” Meyers waited patiently at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to hear the deafening roar of a Falcon 9 rocket signifying the start of the launch. Delayed over a month for technical issues, the successful launch of the SpaceX CRS-13 mission was essential for Al Meyers, as nestled inside were seeds that are potentially critical to the future of space exploration.

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]]> 8497 Speciation & the Mimulus Story https://athensscienceobserver.com/2016/12/02/speciation-the-mimulus-story/ Fri, 02 Dec 2016 15:30:46 +0000 http://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=5312 Ever wonder how new species begin? Join director and narrator Nick Batora and animator Rishi Masalia as they explore the evolutionary processes of speciation and how the genus Mimulus has been used to study it. This video was made for students at the University of Georgia in BIOL 1107, an introductory biology lab, but is […]

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]]> 5312 The Fungal Connection – They come in peace to all plantkind https://athensscienceobserver.com/2016/10/02/the-fungal-connection-they-come-in-peace-to-all-plantkind/ Sun, 02 Oct 2016 12:00:18 +0000 http://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=4748 The Lorax isn’t the only one who speaks for the trees. In the shadow of virtually all earthly plants, an unlikely organism has woven its way into inter-species harmony, and in the process constructed a vast community more cooperative than some human societies. This microscopic diplomat is none other than the humble fungus. Contrary to […]

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]]> 4748 Tragedy of the Commons in the America West https://athensscienceobserver.com/2016/03/23/tragedy-of-the-commons-in-the-america-west/ Wed, 23 Mar 2016 12:21:00 +0000 https://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=2813 In the American West, clear skies look down on a bountiful expanse of land. The rumble of bison herds is now replaced with the soft lowing of cattle and a rising dissatisfaction from those that tend them. The recent armed occupation of a wildlife refuge in Oregon brought issues of public land management to national […]

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]]> 2813 The Life and Lies of Kudzu https://athensscienceobserver.com/2016/03/15/the-life-and-lies-of-kudzu/ Tue, 15 Mar 2016 16:38:33 +0000 https://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=2644 Southerners see it everywhere: green tentacles snaking up the road signs, vines suffocating vast green meadows of trees. The infestation has become a trademark of the south: kudzu. Many Americans grow up hearing that kudzu was imported for erosion control, but the true story is more complex. For the celebration of the hundredth year since the […]

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]]> 2644 Life Finds a Way: 4 Ways Plants Deal with Extremes in Water Availability https://athensscienceobserver.com/2015/09/29/life-finds-a-way-4-ways-plants-deal-with-extremes-in-water-availability/ Tue, 29 Sep 2015 15:56:01 +0000 https://athensscienceobserver.com/?p=1513 Water availability has come up in recent news cycles as we face record droughts in the American west, depletion of aquifers in the Great Plains, and increasing flooding across the US due to climate change. When we face these issues, we turn to either technology to find a solution, or our mobility to remove or […]

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