Endangered March 4, 2019 Alien species are 'primary cause' for global extinctions, study finds Perhaps it's a good thing we haven't found E.T. yet – he might cause us to become extinct.
Plants January 17, 2019 China's Moon plants are dead after freezing temperatures killed them China has said that the cotton seedlings it planted on the Moon have died as a result of the extreme cold temperatures on the lunar surface, according to Hong Kong news outlet GB Times.
Moon January 15, 2019 China sprouts seed on the Moon – and hopes to be growing potatoes ‘within 100 days’ China has sprouted a cotton seed on the moon – and hopes to be growing potatoes on the dark side of Earth's neighbor within the next 100 days, it's been revealed.
US October 23, 2018 Michigan brothers face $450,000 in fines for tree removal on their property A pair of brothers in Michigan are facing nearly half a million dollars in fines for allegedly removing more than 1,400 trees from their 16-acre property without permission.
Plants July 20, 2018 Giant hogweed, wild parsnip and other dangerous plants to avoid What to know about different types of dangerous herbage — from hogweed to wild parsnip — that can produce serious burns or, in some cases, lead to blindness or death.
Plants March 22, 2018 Top 10 US national parks Encompassing swamplands, sequoia forests, active volcanoes and painted deserts, these protected areas provide adventurous visitors with a firsthand look at the unique beauty of the untouched American wild.
Plants March 21, 2018 Mind-blowing colors found in nature You won’t believe Mother Nature’s Crayola-worthy shades.
Food-Drink March 20, 2018 Are these foods doomed to disappear? Can you imagine a world in which your favorite foods didn’t exist?
Biology March 20, 2018 7 facts you didn't know about coffee production If you haven't been keeping up with NPR's Coffee Week lineup of stories, you're missing out on a whole bunch of new insight into the cup of coffee you drink every day. NPR's Coffee Week coverage is dripping with news and facts about the culture of coffee, from the journey of coffee production from fruit to cup to the threats facing coffee plant genes, and more. It's not often that we think exactly about how our coffee ends up in our cup, and it's a long, lengthy journey. As writer Dan Charles explains, the coffee exports from the "coffee belt" of the world help prop up many of the tropical countries, where exports of green coffee beans add up to $15 billion per year. And considering that one Arabica coffee tree produces only 1 to 1.5 pounds per year, it takes a lot of care to keep up with the demands of coffee drinkers (in Nordic countries, it can reach up to eight cups of coffee per day). And the complexities of the coffee bean — and the leaf rust that's threatening to wipe out coffee farms worldwide — make coffee as interesting of a crop as any other. And more importantly, as writer Allison Aubrey notes, is how third-wave coffee production is not just giving drinkers a better-tasting cup of coffee; it's allowing farmers to reinvest in their farms and provide better working conditions for those producing the coffee. From sorting and drying the beans to just getting the beans to a port to be shipped to the U.S. and other countries, the process of coffee is labor-intensive. Aubrey puts it best: "So, next time you sip on a latte, remember: It's not just the face of the barista behind those coffee beans." We asked Charles and Aubrey to share with The Daily Meal the most surprising facts they discovered about coffee production; you can click ahead to find out more eye-opening tidbits about your coffee. Let's just say, you'll appreciate your morning caffeine jolt that much more.
Endangered December 21, 2017 Scientists discover over 100 new species, including crocodile lizard, snail-eating turtle Scientists have discovered 115 new species in the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia including a crocodile lizard and a snail-eating turtle that was spotted in a Thai food market.
Plants September 26, 2017 Blossoming bisexual: World's 1st flower had male and female parts When the world's first flower sprouted about 140 million years ago, it was bisexual, possessing both male and female reproductive parts, according to the researchers who virtually reconstructed the blossom in a new study.
