You wrap up record-keeping and determine that your business is only 6% efficient at using key resources. Can you live with only 6% efficiency? Your neighbor’s business is only 4.6% efficient. So, are ...

Lots of people are excited about the idea of using plants to help us draw down some of the excess carbon dioxide we’ve been pumping into the atmosphere. It would be nice to think that we could ...

Genetically altering crops may be key to helping them adapt to extreme temperatures. But shrinking funds and social acceptance stand in the way. By Rebecca Dzombak The world’s bread baskets are ...

Q. What makes a plant invasive, and why are they considered harmful? Whenever we hear about invasive species, we usually think about pest insects or arthropods such as Argentine ants or fruit flies.

Alizée Malnoë ascends a spiral staircase to Myers Hall’s fourth floor “greenhouse,” one lacking windows. Just within stands metal shelving, housing trays of seedlings haloed by grow lights. She ...

Unlike us, plants don't need pantries full of food to stay alive; the Sun is their pantry. But, like us, they require fairly regular sustenance, which they create via photosynthesis. This seemingly ...

Crops around the world—including corn, wheat and rice—might suffer from decreased yields as a result of microplastics interfering with photosynthesis, according to a new study. Andy Sacks via Getty ...

Microplastics are now a ubiquitous part of our daily physical reality. These minuscule fragments of degrading plastic now suffuse our air, our soil, the food we eat and the water we drink. They’re ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Most of life’s engines run on sunlight. Photons filter down through the atmosphere and are eagerly absorbed by light-powered organisms ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. In some orchids, photosynthesis is out and parasitism is in. Instead ...

To harness the power of the sun and make sugars for energy storage, plants use photosynthesis. But some plants are more efficient at it than others. For the first time, researchers have identified a ...