Indoor plants bring life, color, and a touch of nature into our homes, turning ordinary spaces into vibrant green sanctuaries. Yet many plant lovers quickly discover a common challenge: pests. In the warm, enclosed environment of a home, insects like spider mites, mealybugs, aphids, and fungus gnats can spread rapidly, often going unnoticed until leaves […]
10 Nutrient-Dense Organic Foods to Boost Your Energy Without Caffeine
In a world where caffeine reigns supreme for quick energy fixes, turning to nutrient-dense organic foods offers a sustainable alternative. These foods provide essential vitamins, minerals, proteins, and complex carbohydrates that support steady energy levels by stabilizing blood sugar, enhancing oxygen transport, and fueling cellular processes. Unlike caffeine, they avoid the crash and promote overall […]
Belowground microbial solutions to aboveground plant problems
Land plants — plants that live primarily in terrestrial habitats and form vegetation on earth — are anchored to the ground through their roots, and their performance depends on both the belowground soil conditions and the aboveground climate. Plants utilize sunlight to grow through the process of photosynthesis where light energy is converted to chemical […]
Why plants in the office make us more productive
‘Green’ offices with plants make staff happier and more productive than ‘lean’ designs stripped of greenery, new research shows. In the first field study of its kind, researchers found enriching a ‘lean’ office with plants could increase productivity by 15%. The team examined the impact of ‘lean’ and ‘green’ offices on staff’s perceptions of air […]
The Damaging Effects Of Oxalates On The Human Body
Oxalic acid or oxalates are very tiny molecules that bind minerals like calcium and form crystals. It is found in a variety of seeds, nuts and many vegetables. It’s only two carbons and four oxygen molecules. It’s a highly reactive compound that is attracted to positively charged minerals. Oxalates not only can cause kidney stones […]
Crops that kill pests by shutting off their genes
Plants are among many eukaryotes that can “turn off” one or more of their genes by using a process called RNA interference to block protein translation. Researchers are now weaponizing this by engineering crops to produce specific RNA fragments that, upon ingestion by insects, initiate RNA interference to shut down a target gene essential for […]
Healing Power Of Aloe Vera Proves Beneficial For Teeth And Gums
The aloe vera plant has a long history of healing power. Its ability to heal burns and cuts and soothe pain has been documented as far back as the 10th century. Legend has it that Cleopatra used aloe vera to keep her skin soft. The modern use of aloe vera was first recognized the 1930s […]
Engineers Create Plants That Glow
Imagine that instead of switching on a lamp when it gets dark, you could read by the light of a glowing plant on your desk. MIT engineers have taken a critical first step toward making that vision a reality. By embedding specialized nanoparticles into the leaves of a watercress plant, they induced the plants to […]
Science Confirms You Should Stop And Smell The Roses
Short nature intervention can bring out the best in people. Is it any wonder that most happiness idioms are associated with nature? Happy as a pig in muck, happy as a clam, happy camper. A UBC researcher says there’s truth to the idea that spending time outdoors is a direct line to happiness. In fact, […]
Patients With Drug-Resistant Malaria Cured By Plant Therapy
When the standard malaria medications failed to help 18 critically ill patients, the attending physician in a Congo clinic acted under the “compassionate use” doctrine and prescribed a not-yet-approved malaria therapy made only from the dried leaves of the Artemisia annua plant. In just five days, all 18 people fully recovered. This small but stunningly […]