Plants

As compared to traditional agriculture, hydroponic farming uses less space and less water, plus it requires no soil. It still does require a growth medium, though – and scientists have recently created a better such medium, derived from human hair.

We already know that waterborne plastic particles can enter the bodies of fish, which are then eaten by humans. New research, however, shows that such particles can enter the food chain via another route, by traveling from plants to insects to fish.

It takes tons of plant matter to make each gram of the cancer drug vinblastine. To find an alternative source, scientists have engineered yeast to produce the precursors of vinblastine, which could help make this vital drug more available and affordable.

Along with being costly, herbicides can also harm the environment … so why apply them to a whole crop, instead of just the areas where weeds are growing? That's the thinking behind the Solix Sprayer robot, which spots and sprays weeds in fields.

It has long been known that plants can help mitigate air pollution in urban environments. New research reinforces such findings, showing that "tredges" planted around schoolyards can help protect children from traffic-derived airborne particles.

Plant-covered "living walls" are becoming increasingly popular, as they look nice, produce oxygen, and (when outdoors) help keep buildings cool. A relatively new one is claimed to be more plant-friendly, plus it's made of recycled materials.

A compound called salicylic acid is naturally produced when plants encounter things like drought and heat, and a new study demonstrates how this process might be leveraged to protect crops in the face of rising global temperatures.

When we think of our fellow plant-eating mammals, we tend to picture them just eating whatever they find while foraging. According to new research, however, the pocket gopher actually farms its food … and it's the only non-human mammal to do so.

Carnivorous plants are already quite fascinating, but a newly discovered one ratchets up the weirdness factor even further. It's a type of pitcher plant, and it captures prey that lives underground.

When cooking oil is extracted from peanuts and sunflower seeds, a waste product known as oilseed meal is left behind. New research shows that proteins harvested from that meal can be used to filter heavy metals out of contaminated water.

Plastics are tough, which is great when in use but not so good in the environment. Scientists have developed a new PET-like plastic derived from waste plant matter that can be chemically recycled or degrade into harmless sugars in the environment.

Scientists have improved on the natural process of photosynthesis, not only growing plants more efficiently, but doing so in the dark. This could expand agriculture to areas that don’t get enough sunlight, and even help feed future space explorers.