Forest & trees
- Beetles changed their diet during the Cretaceous period - Like a snapshot, amber preserves bygone worlds. Paleontologists have now described four new beetle species in fossilized tree resin from Myanmar, which belong to the Kateretidae family. As well as the about 99 million years old insects, the amber also includes pollen. It seems that the beetles helped the flowering plants to victory, because they contributed to their propagation.
- The life and death of one of America's most mysterious trees - A symbol of life, ancient sundial or just firewood? Tree-ring scientists trace the origin of a tree log unearthed almost a century ago.
- Magnolia bark compound could someday help treat drug-resistant epilepsy - In patients with epilepsy, normal neurological activity becomes disrupted, causing debilitating seizures. Now, researchers report that they have found a potential new treatment for this disorder by turning to traditional Chinese medicine. Tests of extracts from plants used in these ancient remedies led the team to one compound, derived from a magnolia tree, that could quell drug-resistant seizures in both fish and mice.