Scientists have discovered that many plants emit faint ultrasonic clicks when distressed. It sounds like something out of a dark children’s story. Hurt a plant, and it “screams.” Not in a way humans can hear, but in a newly documented study, stressed plants were found to release bursts of ultrasonic sound that resemble faint pops [...]

Citizen science platforms, including iNaturalist, are driving major discoveries and becoming essential tools for researchers. How can we improve them further? A plant missing for nearly 60 years has been found again in one of Australia’s most remote landscapes, and the rediscovery started with a sharp-eyed bird bander, a phone camera, and a citizen science [...]

Behind the stillness of desert landscapes, cacti appear to be changing in unexpected ways. The cactus on your windowsill may not seem like a fast mover, but new research suggests cacti are remarkably quick when it comes to producing new species. For years, biologists have argued that pollinators and specialized flowers are the main forces [...]

A moss sample helped investigators prove that cemetery workers had moved human remains and resold burial plots by revealing both the origin and age of the plant evidence. In 2009, authorities uncovered a major scandal at a cemetery near Chicago. Employees at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois, were accused of digging up older graves, [...]