Scientists have discovered a tropical “dynamite tree” that explosively launches seeds at 150 mph. The mechanism uses physics, ...

This rainforest tree solved one of evolution’s hardest problems. Here’s how it evolved to use tension and geometry to fire ...

This included filming the seed dispersal using a high-speed camera (capturing up to 8600 frames per second), measuring fruit and stem volume before and after dispersal, performing indentation tests ...

New research into the biomechanics of explosive seed dispersal in squirting cucumbers (Ecballium elaterium) reveals how these plants have adapted a suite of unique traits that help propel their ...

"Ballistic seed dispersal" is not something you see often in plants – and for good reason, perhaps, when you see just what the affectionately called squirting cucumber is capable of. Shunning external ...

Three summers ago, Kiel University biomechanist Stainslav Gorb, returned to Germany after a vacation in Turkey with a present for Ph.D. student Helen Gorges. "He came back and was like, 'Helen, I ...

In tropical forests across Central and South America, a quiet tree hides one of the most violent forms of seed dispersal ...

Exploding seed pods evolved in the Arabidopsis relative Cardamine hirsuta via morphomechanical innovations that allow the storage and rapid release of elastic energy. Asymmetric lignin deposition ...

A team led by the University of Oxford has solved a mystery that has intrigued scientists for centuries: how does the squirting cucumber squirt? The findings, achieved through a combination of ...