Plants

Resembling a grape with thicker and darker skin, the kiwiberry may be one of the least known and most underrated fruits on Earth. It's also old, dating back more than 20 million years. But until recently, we only cared about the plant's aesthetics.

Japanese agri-tech company Nextage has developed a mobile wasabi growing module that automates cultivation. The device reportedly allows anyone to grow their own crops without the limitations of geography or lack of experience.

Rare earth elements that are crucial for producing tech products, from EVs to phones, require destructive mining to get them out of the ground. Scientists in China might have just found another source for them that's easier to reach: ferns.

While everyone loves the thought of growing fresh veggies indoors, not everyone has the green thumb required to do so. The Plantaform system was designed with that fact in mind, as it grows edible plants automatically … using a nutrient-rich fog.

'Pandemic gardens' were as popular as pets and sourdough starters in 2020, but many of us learnt the hard way that houseplants can be hard. Now, this device is out to "revolutionize" how you tend to your plants, ensuring they thrive rather than die.

Your boots may soon have a tropical touch, with a breakthrough in using pineapple leaves to make a strong, 100% natural, sustainable leather. It comprehensively outperformed mushroom leather, and has serious potential for scalable, commercial use.

Pothos plants are already known for being particularly good at purifying indoor air, so imagine if it were possible to make them 30 times better at doing so. Neoplants claims its Neo PX system does just that, using special soil-dwelling bacteria.

This indoor vegetable-growing machine uses artificial intelligence, cameras, climate control and a smartphone app to deliver a constant supply of fresh herbs and vegetables using minimal time, energy and effort.

The USDA has approved Light Bio's "Firefly Petunias," and the company is taking US$29 pre-orders on these remarkable gene-edited houseplants. They glow in the dark, making them a captivating home decor addition for science buffs.

While renewable energy sources certainly are eco-friendly, most of them only produce electricity in one way, such as using sunlight … which isn't always available. A new system, that has been built into an artificial plant, uses both wind and rain.

When it comes to tasks like the exploration of unstructured environments, traditional robots may be stymied by obstacles such as uncrossable gaps. That's where the FiloBot comes in, as it grows like a self-supporting vine.

A new photography competition has released its first batch of winners and finalists. A portrait of a playful sea lion has won the inaugural Nature Photography Contest, which showcases animals, plants, landscapes and human impact on the environment.