Posted inMiddle Ages, Science

Mysterious plant mentioned in the Bible is resurrected by germinating a 1,000-year-old seed found in a desert cave

An international team of researchers has successfully germinated and analyzed an ancient seed, uncovering secrets that may shed light on a plant species mentioned in ancient texts like the Bible, which may have been extinct in the southern Levant region. The study, recently published in the journal Communications Biology, details how a seed recovered during […]

Posted inScience

Scientists have Solved the Mystery of where Baobabs Originated and how they Spread Around the World

Recent genomic and ecological analyses by a global research team led by the Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, CAS, hosted by the Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have shed light on the origins and dispersal of these iconic trees. The study reveals that Madagascar is the cradle from which all other baobab […]

Posted inArchaeology

Rare Fossil Found in Canada Shows Trees Had Surprisingly Bizarre Shapes 350 Million Years Ago

Researchers in Canada have discovered the fossil of a really strange tree that lived over 350 million years ago. They published their findings in Current Biology journal magazine. This tree fossil is special because it still has parts that show what the branches and leaves looked like. Tree fossils usually just show the trunk. The […]

Posted inAncient Egypt, Science

Wasabi, the Surprising Weapon of Ancient Egyptian Papyri Restorers

Researchers have found a new natural method to clean and preserve valuable ancient Egyptian papyri threatened by the action of fungi and bacteria. It involves wasabi, a plant native to Japan known for its bactericidal and fungicidal properties. The papyri are written documents on strips of paper made from papyrus fiber, an aquatic plant that […]