Pollenatrix

Royal Wedding

The Human Flower Project speculates on the meaning of the Lily of the Valley and Primroses that made up Camilla's wedding bouquet.

The Language of Flowers says that lilies of the valley, with both “deadly poison and healing powers” symbolized not happiness but “making the right choice.”

Yeah, I watched. Who didn't? The royal wedding held all the fascination of a car accident. It has been reported that Charles toasted his bride at the reception, saluting her for "enduring what no-one should have to live through".

Huh. At least she lived.

Let it rain

The phrase, "Trees are the lungs of the earth", is no longer just a noble sentiment; it's now scientific fact. Australian researchers have proven that forests play a crucial role in maintaining rainfall patterns along the Amazon river.

"The bottom line is for the first time we can tell the difference between moisture that has been transpired through the plants, and water that has come through the rest of the water cycle," she said.

"Trees play a critical role in moving heavy-water molecules through the cycle. This is the first demonstration that deforestation has an observable affect on rainfall."

Rogue weeds defy rules of genetics

I'm no geneticist, but this article from the New Scientist caught my eye:

Mendelian inheritance, the central tenet of genetics, is under attack from a few scrawny weeds that have not read the textbooks. The weeds are somehow inheriting DNA sequences from their grandparents that neither of their parents possessed - which is supposed to be impossible."

I'm not sure how or if it ties in with Alex Hirtz's theory on the rapid evolution of orchids, but it strikes me that there could be some connection.

Big bee problem

Tiny mites are giving beekeepers and farmers a BIG headache:

In their years in North America, the eight-legged pests have devastated wild bee colonies and radically altered beekeeping. The pinhead-sized mite — the Varroa destructor — feeds on honeybees and their larvae. In some areas, they've destroyed as many as 60 percent of the hives.

Reproducing quickly and in a closed environment, the mites have developed a resistance to pesticides — a trait they've been able to spread to their progeny faster than scientist have been able to develop new compounds to fight them off.

Don't mess with da mushrooms

Get this -- plants can be downright violent:

"A number of different scenarios may unfold when two fungal mycelia meet. If the two fungi are of the same species, they might mate. If they have already mated, then they often reach a kind of compromise, and a stand-off ensues, with neither advancing into the other's territory. If fungi of different species meet - and in British woods there are hundreds of different species - battle commences with one eventually gaining the upper hand and advancing into the opponent's territory. Sometimes there will be stalemate if both are equally adept fighters."

We're talking about mushrooms here, people.

First Nations people protect their secrets

From The Tyee:

Who Owns the Healing Secrets of Plants?

As the Haida know, the rainforest can yield cures for sickness. But sharing such knowledge may create other ills.

No more snow!

According to this article, snow-making machines are bad news for Mother Nature. I never quite signed on to the concept myself; while I'm eagerly waiting for the snow to melt, there are people out there making more??? The Environmental Hazards of Making Snow:

"During the unseasonably warm winter in Europe, many ski resorts are relying on snow machines to do nature’s work, much to the bane of environmentalis"

Put away the sunglasses....

BBC NEWS | Why the Sun seems to be 'dimming':

"(Scientists) have reached the disturbing conclusion that the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth's surface has been gradually falling. Paradoxically, the decline in sunlight may mean that global warming is a far greater threat to society than previously thought."

Caught red-handed

It's pin-the-tail on Monsanto day.

Monsanto has been fined $1.5 million USD for bribing a senior environment ministry official in Indonesia. They were trying to get around an environmental assessment for genetically-modified cotton.

Greenpeace makes this interesting point:

"If their GE crops are as environmentally safe, wholesome and well- tested as Monsanto claims then you'd think it wouldn't need to grease the palms of politicians to get approval for its crops"

Play the game: Who's the bad guy?

Wired News: Saving Seed Is Latest Tech Piracy:

"Monsanto's 'seed police' snared soy farmer Homan McFarling in 1999, and the company is demanding he pay it hundreds of thousands of dollars for alleged technology piracy. McFarling's sin? He saved seed from one harvest and replanted it the following season, a revered and ancient agricultural practice.

'My daddy saved seed. I saved seed,' said McFarling, 62, who still grows soy on the 5,000 acre family farm in Shannon, Mississippi, and is fighting the agribusiness giant in court."

"(Monsanto) has turned farmer against farmer and sent private investigators into small towns to ask prying questions of friends and business acquaintances.

Monsanto's licensing contracts and litigation tactics are coming under increased scrutiny as more of the planet's farmland comes under genetically engineered cultivation."