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Gardeners and Nature lovers already appreciate the botanical wonders around us, but plants are more than floral beauties. We owe the air we breathe to them, all of our food, and most of our medicine, chemicals and housing. Animals from elephants to ants depend on plant-life. And the world's flora has an equally intimate relationship with the birds, insects, mammals and humans around them.
Explore these relationships and find the latest botany discoveries through the links below.
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- Bacteria Stunner: Sewage In, Electricity Out.
- "A fuel cell powered by naturally occurring bacteria has successfully converted 13 per cent of the energy in sewage to electricity — and cleaned the waste water at the same time. It's hoped genetic engineering could make this much more efficient."
- Plants Save Our Lives Just By Being Around Us
- "The scientists found that being among plants produced "lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, and lower blood pressure," among other things."
- Unforeseen Consequences of Human Noise: Plants Can't Reproduce
- "A US team found that industrial noise disrupted the behaviour of animals that pollinate plants and disperse seeds. This, they suggest, could be slowly transforming our landscape, especially by changing the dispersal of slow-growing trees. "
- Oldest Living Tree Moves To Europe
- "The new record contender, which would have taken root just after the last ice age, was found among a cluster of around 20 spruces believed to be more than 8,000 years old."
Copyright © 2010 Rob Halpern. All rights reserved.
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