Tree

Each year lightning kills hundreds of millions of trees worldwide, leaving behind scorched trunks and shattered branches, but one species of tropical tree in Panama has turned this destructive force of nature to their advantage.

Remarkable research has unlocked new understanding of the mysterious ways trees communicate and share knowledge – and much like in the animal kingdom, the wisdom of age plays a key role. In fact, you may never look at a tree in the same way again.

Pangolins already dig in the dirt, so why not get them planting trees while they're at it? Well, training them would be pretty hard, which is why a California high school student named Dorothy designed a pangolin-inspired robot to do the planting.

Tulip trees have been around for millions of years, but a new analysis of their structure has revealed a previously unknown type of wood. The finding could explain why the trees are great at sequestering carbon and help our efforts to do the same.

Dubai already boasts the world's tallest building and now local firm Urb envisions transforming its shores with the world's largest coastal regeneration project too. The development would plant millions of mangrove trees, spread over 72 km.

Scientists have uncovered the oldest fossilized forest, dating back 390 million years. The ancient forest was made up of the first trees to ever grow on Earth – bizarre “prototype” trees that had to rip their skeletons apart in order to grow.

Swiss researchers are working on an environmental monitoring robot named Avocado that's been inspired by abseiling spiders. The fruit-shaped bot uses a winch and rotors to lower itself through the canopy and gather data on life in the treetops.

Researchers have taken the best genetic characteristics of the Fraser fir, arguably the most popular choice for Christmas tree, and used them to create a tree that’s taller, prettier, and – importantly – sheds only a fraction of its needles.

Our Sun is capable of terrifying outbursts – and now scientists have discovered evidence of its biggest tantrum on record. Tree rings dating back 14,000 years contain a radiocarbon spike twice as powerful as the previous biggest known solar storm.

Although artificial reefs certainly do help restore damaged marine ecosystems, they're usually made of heavy manmade materials that must be formed into shape. Now, however, scientists are reporting success using readily-available dead pear trees.

Conventional breeding of trees takes time, but CRISPR gene editing should help speed things up. Now, scientists at North Carolina State University have used CRISPR to adjust the genomes of poplar trees to make them easier to turn into paper products.

Often referred to as the lungs of the planet, the Amazon rainforest is in trouble – with around a third reported as already gone or degraded. A pocket of resistance in Peru has now been joined by a dual-armed robotic gardener to help with reforestation.