Without plants on land, humans could not live on Earth. From mosses to ferns to grasses to trees, plants are our food, fodder and timber. All this diversity emerged from an algal ancestor that ...

Researchers have achieved a breakthrough in understanding how genetic drivers influence the evolution of a specific photosynthesis mechanism in Tillandsia (air plants). This sheds light on the complex ...

Plant molecular evolution offers key insights into how coding and regulatory changes shape the diversity of form and function across the plant kingdom. The ...

Galápagos plants show repeated evolution and emerging species, emphasizing evolution’s flexibility and active role today.

A deep genetic mystery has baffled plant scientists for decades. Although leaves, stems, and flowers develop in strikingly similar ways across many plant species, scientists have struggled to identify ...

A new study reveals how a remarkable group of plants on the Galápagos Islands developed their diverse leaf shapes—offering unique insight into evolution at the genetic level. A large international ...

In the summer of 2011, paleontologist and science writer Riley Black was on a mission. Walking through the Montana desert, she was on the lookout for a Tyrannosaurus rex. But that day, she wasn’t ...

Plants use sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into energy-rich sugars and oxygen in various ways (photosynthesis).

Plant behavior may seem rather boring compared with the frenetic excesses of animals. Yet the lives of our vegetable friends, who tirelessly feed the entire biosphere (including us), are full of ...