The complexity of classifying a tree

Plants use physical and chemical defenses to protect themselves

Tree bark is difficult to chew and resistant to pathogens, while the waxy cuticle on the surface of leaves deters insects and microbes. Some plants possess thorns, spines, and prickles to discourage predators. Plant cells can also produce antimicrobial toxins or release compounds to alert parasitic wasps to lay eggs in attacking insects.

How trees transport water from roots to leaves

Trees move water to their extremities via a deft system starting from the roots to the leaves. See how it works in this short video breaking down the process in a Douglas fir.

See how each of the more than 2 million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

Tree rings can reveal centuries of environmental change and natural events

The width and shape of tree rings reflect yearly growth conditions like rainfall or snowfall. Scars in the rings can record disruptions such as fires, avalanches, or earthquakes, explaining when and how those events occurred.

Learn about the basic anatomy of mosquitoes

This short explainer video breaks down the mosquito's general body components, highlighting how mosquitoes breathe, fly, and more. It also touches on how experts can tell different mosquito species apart.

Fungi can cause disease, but they’re also our planet’s key decomposers

Fungi are their own taxonomic kingdom separate from flora and fauna, acting as the key decomposers and nutrient recyclers for our planet. Watch this video to understand the diverse types of fungi and the stages of the fungal life cycle. This video illustrates how fungi species may spread, eat nematode worms, damage nearby plants, and much more.

The three categories of photosynthesis, which each help plants survive in different environments

In the vast majority of plants, C3 photosynthesis produces three-carbon intermediate molecules in the Calvin cycle within the cells of leaves. Plants in hot, dry climates use C4 photosynthesis across two types of cells to produce four-carbon molecules before the Calvin cycle. Plants in drought conditions use CAM to store carbon dioxide as an acid at night, minimizing water loss.

Behind the fascinating disguising mechanism of camouflage

Camouflage—nature's master game of hide-and-seek—is more complex than simply how things look. The disguising process required millions of years of evolution that have programmed how our brains take shortcuts. Watch this video to see examples of camouflage and understand how we process it.

Do trees feel pain?

Trees don’t have nerves or brains. But when they’re wounded, they send underground and airborne warnings to other trees.

The Köppen-Geiger system divides Earth’s climate into five main categories

This classification system, developed by a German-Russian botanist and a German climatologist, results from differences in the intensity of solar radiation and rainfall in different parts of the world. Each category is further divided into multiple coded zones.

Explore the human family tree

This interactive human family tree shows the various species that constitute the human evolutionary family. Click on each species or group image to learn more.

The science of symmetry | The Royal Society

Nature is full of symmetries, from spiral galaxies to florets of broccoli. So why do complex creatures break the pattern?This short video discusses why symmetry came to dominate life on Earth, and how many complex life forms, such as humans, transitioned from radial to lateral symmetry.

Why we have different seasons

Visualize just how exactly seasons come to be with this animation of the earth in relation to the sun, and see how earth's tilt determines our seasons.

The 4% DNA difference between humans and chimps

On the genetic level, we're not all that different from chimps. But those small differences in DNA can have huge effects. This 11-minute video digs in to the topic.

View a sample of the bioluminescent tree of life

This diagram shows 42 different light-producing organisms, from bacteria and fungi to worms, fish, and crustaceans. It illustrates how the ability to produce light has appeared multiple times across the tree of life, rather than stemming from a single ancestor.

Wine is divided between Old World and New World

The distinction stems from both geography and winemaking technique and tradition. This video breaks down how different viticultural regions fit into each category and the common traits of both Old World and New World wines. It also provides helpful tips for reading Old World wine labels.

View a breakdown of the identified species on Earth, led by about one million insect species, while mammals such as humans make up one of the smallest groups.

Human origins 101

Learn about the over 20 early human species that belong in our family tree and how the natural selection of certain physical and behavioral traits defined what it means to be human.

Thirty weird facts about Christmas trees

From its fascinating origin to how yours is grown today, these incredible Christmas tree facts will add a little bit more wonder to your holiday season.

Although ecologists have struggled to identify a species as a keystone—one of outsized importance to its ecosystem—an analysis of 50 years of data and 157 studies identified 230 such species.

Unlike fruits, the category of 'vegetables' is a culinary term, not a scientific one

Within botany, fruits are defined as the ripened ovaries of flowering plants, and include apples, grapes, tomatoes, avocados, green beans, peppers, and almonds. In the kitchen, "vegetables" is an umbrella term that encompasses many fruits and other parts of plants, such as leaves (lettuce, kale) and roots (carrots, beets).

Did people domesticate plants or did plants domesticate us?

Humans rely on plants to survive, and many plants have come to rely on humans. This 14-minute video explores how agriculture was simultaneously a building block of civilization and a trap that captured humanity. Plant types that may not have...

Fig trees are considered keystone species because they provide year-round habitat and fruit, which are eaten by an estimated 1,300 species of birds and mammals worldwide.

Where are humans on the evolutionary tree?

This interactive tree-shaped map explores the evolutionary connections between more than two million species. According to this map, humans are on the same branch as great apes, tarsiers, and treeshrews. That branch then splits into even smaller branches, with humans appearing on the same twig-like branch as chimpanzees and bonobos.

Wind helps trees develop resistance to collapse

Scientists at Biosphere 2 found that trees grew faster in the facility than those in the wild but collapsed more quickly when replanted outdoors. Researchers uncovered that trees build resistance when pushed and pulled due to wind stress, strengthening their foundational root systems.

Dinosaurs are defined by specific traits that many dinosaur-like creatures lack

Although pterodactyls, mosasaurs, crocodilians, and other organisms are mistaken for dinosaurs, they do not have upright legs or specific hip structures characteristic of the terrestrial reptiles. Some, like the Dimetrodon, are more closely related to humans than dinosaurs.

See if you know how to recognize poison ivy with this quiz.

Companies often use different share classes, like Class A or Class B, to structure ownership

Share classes refer to specific types of company stock that are distinguished by the rights they grant, such as voting power and dividend access.

Everything scientists could learn by looking at your skull

Our skulls are all unique, but they also share characteristics across groups of people. In the absence of fingerprints, forensic scientists can learn a lot about you just from your skull.

Photos and descriptions of unique plants found in the Amazon rainforest

It’s the plants that provide homes for the incredible diversity of Amazon animals. Read about 29 of the most fascinating Amazon rainforest plants.

What is the rarest color in nature?

Plants, animals, or minerals found in nature bear almost every color imaginable. There are two factors that influence what hues you see in the wild: physics and evolution. So, which colors are you least likely to see in the natural world? Victoria Hwang explores one of nature's rarest spectacles.

Many trees lose their leaves in the fall to conserve resources for future blooming rather than spending them on keeping leaves alive in the wind and cold of winter.

Despite lacking a traditional nervous system, plants have specialized cells that help detect gravity, enabling them to identify which way is down to grow roots and which way is up to push shoots toward the surface.

The ingredients that make up severe weather

A seven-minute video illustrating how a storm is made. These factors—moisture, instability, lift, and shear—are explained through a series of data sets and creative, descriptive diagrams.

What do psychedelic plants look like?

Far from the drippy aesthetic often associated with psychedelics, the plants powering naturally occurring psychoactive experiences may not stand out as anything special. This database offers a visual guide to psychoactive plants and fungi. Clicking on the title of a particular plant, such as yerba mate, will bring up a secondary screen with various hyperlinked images, such as the plant itself, related botanical drawings, and molecular structures.

Clouds can be categorized into 10 basic types based on their height and composition.

Among the features of these types, cirrus clouds can display various colors at sunrise and sunset, while altocumulus clouds can produce a corona phenomenon around the sun or moon. Nimbostratus clouds are thick enough to block out the sun entirely.

Keystone species with average lifespans exceeding a century, oak trees support more organisms than any other North American tree genus by providing ecosystems with pollen, shelter, and nutrient-rich acorns.

Trade dress is a form of trademark that applies to the physical appearance of a product

Distinct visual characteristics of products, like the shape of a Coca-Cola bottle or the interior layout of an Apple store, can be protected. These characteristics are protected to help consumers quickly identify certain brands.

Commodities have to meet specific specifications to be classified as commodities

In the financial sense of the term, commodities must be uniform, interchangeable, and deliverable to meet the classification. That's partly why a crop grown in your backyard might not qualify as a commodity crop.