Lichens, working partnerships of fungi, green algae and in some cases, photosynthesizing bacteria, are all around us, but so unassuming that either you’ve never noticed them or passed them off as non-living objectoids. If you know lichens when you see…
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Louis Pasteur was already a Professor of Chemistry when he was asked to investigate a problem facing certain wine producers in France. Some of it was turning into vinegar! As a scientist he was meticulous in his methods and concluded…
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There are many wonderful things to do in New Zealand, but one of the most important is to make a special visit to the Waipoua Forest, one of the remaining great kauri forests of the North Island. Waipoua is north…
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The Umbrella leaf plant is a herbaceous plant that is a perennial. This plant can reach up to thirty six inches in height. It is also sometimes called the American Umbrella leaf and its scientific classification is Diphylleia cymosa. Some…
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Kangaroos are the largest marsupials in the world. They can be found in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. Grass, grass trees, young shoots and leaves of health plants make up the diet of these herbivores. Standing on two legs, the…
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Such is the interest in lepidoptery, the study of butterflies and moths, that it was believed unlikely to find a new species in the developed world. As an article on website LiveScience explains, butterflies in the United States have been…
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Evolution, as the name implies, is an ever-evolving field of palaeo-biology which has its roots in the work of pioneers like Charles Darwin (19th Century). The definition of ‘evolve’ is (like revolve), to instill the concept of recycling in nature….
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Leaves are the parts of a plant that carry out photosynthesis, the process where light and carbon dioxide are absorbed and converted, with the addition of water, into glucose and oxygen. The plant uses the glucose and expels the oxygen…
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If we look into nature, there are plenty of hints for “general” evolution, not devolution. In fact, the very process of evolution is essential for linking several sub-fields of biology together: We acknowledge our DNA is a product of evolution,…
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Isopods (Armadillidium vulgare) are among the most morphologically diverse groups of crustaceans coming in varying sizes and shapes with approximately ten thousand known species. The habitats that an isopod lives in includes fresh water, salt water and on land. Some…
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