Category: plant cutting
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The killing power of spoiled wine
The article explores the transformation of vinegar, traditionally used for disinfection, into a more effective antibacterial agent by combining it with cobalt-doped carbon quantum dots. This innovative approach shows promise against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and highlights the urgent need for new microbial resistance solutions amid increasing health threats globally.
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Prize-winning plant work
The post discusses the Ig Nobel Prize winners of 2025, highlighting their humorous yet insightful research related to plants and food. It emphasizes the absence of specific Nobel Prizes for botany, despite notable plant scientists obtaining Nobel recognition. The post reflects on the lighter side of science, showcasing how fun…
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Rare earths: Botany meets geopolitics
The post discusses He et al., 2025’s work with Blechnum orientale, a fern that accumulates rare earth elements (REEs), in particular the mineral monazite. This discovery raises important questions about plants being a sustainable source for REEs. The post also provides background to REEs, and doesn’t ignore their geopolitical significance.
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A botanical conundrum: HELP, please!
The post discusses the substantial – but source-substantiated – amount of energy plants use secreting root mucilage, estimated at 10-40% of their photosynthesized carbon. Mr P Cuttings expresses scepticism about these high figures, noting lower estimates from earlier studies. To clarify this discrepancy, a full copy of Newman’s 1985 article…
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There’s a Japanese word for that…
The post discusses the connections between the Japanese language and botany. In particular, it highlights the relevance of origami and kirigami to modern-day engineering applications, and of shinrin-yoku to forest bathing’s health benefits. Additionally, it ponders the Japanese word for a wooden satellite.
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A deep dive into seaweed structural colour
Investigating the tips of the red seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis, Hiroshi Kawai & Taizo Motomura identified presence of ‘nanospheres’. The structural colours of blue or white produced by the nanospheres are interpreted as examples of ‘warning colouration’, and ‘camouflage’, respectively.
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When is a tree not a tree? When it’s a rock(!)
By way of an introduction to “ergastic substances” in plants, Mr P Cuttings considers calcium oxalate and carbonate. And relates this to a report that certain fig trees can sequester such inorganic carbon, potentially maintaining carbon sinks post-death. This biomineralisation could help to mitigate climate change while also benefiting soil…
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Tomato or potato, which came first?
This post explores the evolutionary and historical relationship between potatoes and tomatoes, both members of the nightshade family. It briefly discusses their introduction to Europe via the Columbian Exchange, and notes contradictory claims about which arrived first. It then considers the pivotal role of tomato in the development of tubers…
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What plant(s) should we study?
This post discusses Arabidopsis thaliana as a prominent model plant, highlighting its many advantages. However, although research on Arabidopsis has advanced understanding of plant biology, researchers are exploring additional model plants to address its limitations and better comprehend diverse plant species and their interactions.
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Humanity and fungi, a civilising combination?*
Frans Hals’ painting “The Merry Drinker” leads to a consideration of how settled agriculture and alcohol may have influenced the rise of civilizations. Whilst research by Václav Hrnčíř et al. (2025) suggests that traditional alcoholic beverages correlate with political complexity, other factors such as agriculture and religion likely played larger…
Plant Cuttings 