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plants

SCIENCE: What if humans had photosynthetic skin?

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green man - deposit photos

The series “Imaginary Earths” speculates what the world might be like if one key aspect of life changed, whether related to the planet or humanity. Green skin is common in science fiction, from little green men to Hera Syndulla from “Star Wars Rebels” to Gamora from “Guardians of the Galaxy.” But what if green skin were not just for fictional aliens? If humans had green skin, for instance, what if it granted us the ability to perform photosynthesis, which plants use to live off of sunlight? Let’s analyze what science says about similar abilities in other animals and ask award-winning … Read more

SCIENCE: Green Algae is the Ancestor of All Plants

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green algae - pixabay

The oldest green seaweed on record, the ancestor of all land plants, lived about 1 billion years ago, a new study finds. Scientists have discovered the fossils of what may be the oldest green algae ever known. The newfound seaweed — called Proterocladus antiquus — lived about a billion years ago. And even though it was tiny, about 0.07 inches (2 millimeters) in length, the algae had a big role: It could produce oxygen through photosynthesis. “Its discovery indicates that green plants we see today can be traced back to at least 1 billion years ago, and they started in … Read more

STUDY: Plants Can Detect the Sound of Water

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roots - pixabay

Pseudoscientific claims that music helps plants grow have been made for decades, despite evidence that is shaky at best. Yet new research suggests some flora may be capable of sensing sounds, such as the gurgle of water through a pipe or the buzzing of insects. In a recent study, Monica Gagliano, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Western Australia, and her colleagues placed pea seedlings in pots shaped like an upside-down Y. One arm of each pot was placed in either a tray of water or a coiled plastic tube through which water flowed; the other arm had only … Read more