I’ve always found Oliver Sacks’ books fascinating. Sacks was a neurologist, but in this book he gives us a glimpse of his childhood interests. In his early years he was fascinated by the natural world.
This sticky end is a clue to cancer’s causes
How do healthy cells turn cancerous? Their DNA gradually accumulates errors. Most of these errors aren’t important, but occasionally they stop the cell from working properly. They might cause a cell to grow out of control – and this can lead to cancer.
Bedtime Science: Why do seeds travel?
To have a better chance at life this seed needs to get away from its parent. That’s why nature has come up with all sorts of different ways for seeds to travel.
Majority of island flying foxes are on the brink
The majority of island flying foxes are threatened with extinction, while others are already extinct. Flying foxes are stigmatized just because they are bats, although they survive mostly only on fruits and never drink blood.
The smallest orchid of Mauritius
In 2000, a new orchid was recorded in Mauritius. It is called Taeniophyllum coxii (Summerh.) Summerh.. Other orchids were added to the list later, but this one had something very special.
Bedtime Science: How do seeds travel?
If animals run out of food they can can move to where there’s more. Plants can’t get up and move to find a better place to grow. But they have found ways to send their “children” to new places where they might have a better chance of surviving.
What’s the point of prickles?
What good are prickles anyway? A prickle is attached to a seed which is catching a ride somewhere. The sharp (ouch) pointy bit attaches it to something, usually an animal.
The importance of science: from an invasive to an endemic species
Science is about always about making new questions, cleverly doubting the status quo. This is what makes it moves forward and improves everyone’s knowledge. Most of the time it is done in small steps, rarely as major inventions or breakthroughs.
Helicopter trees
Did you know that helicopters grew on trees long before people invented them?
Post truth handy in renewed mass culling flying foxes threatened with extinction on Mauritius
A little more than a year ago, I wrote about the government…