Amber is the fossilized resin of now-extinct trees, primarily ancient conifers but also some flowering tropical trees. An aromatic, soft, sticky substance, resin in extinct trees probably served the same purposes as resin in modern trees: to protect the plant by sealing cuts and by excluding bacteria, fungi, and insects.

Studies of protein function increasingly use multifaceted approaches that span disciplines including recombinant DNA technology, cell biology, and analytical biochemistry. These studies rely on sophisticated equipment and methodologies including confocal fluorescence microscopy, mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystallography that are beyond the…

At home, children often have pets that they take care of and play with; even in the classroom it is not uncommon to find a wormery, an aquarium or an ant farm. However, children rarely have the opportunity to own and care for a plant over a lengthy period of time, let alone a tree. The authors describe a project in Portugal aimed at improving…

This textbook presents basic science to children during two or three consecutive years with an increasing number of facts and a progressive elevation of ideas. Special knowledge of things and the general development of the mind are attained by this method of repetition, but avoids monotony. The author has tried to keep clear of this danger by…

This book presents guidelines in the design and management of children's landscapes and reveals the importance of plants as a resource for play and child development. It identifies plants by function, i.e., their sensory values, play values, food production, seasonal interest, shade quality, screens against natural barriers, wildlife enhancement,…

Presents a brief life history of Carl Linnaeus, a professor of medicine and botany in Uppsala, Sweden. Highlights his work in developing a classification system for plants and animals, and his botanical lectures and demonstrations. (JRH)

Results from several experiments indicated that by age 5, children distinguished animals and plants from nonliving things in terms of growth; many 5-year olds attributed growth, intake of food and water, and illness to both animals and plants; and 5-year olds responded affirmatively when asked whether plants would manifest phenomena similar to…

Presents an exercise that demonstrates how plants cope with multiple resource limitations in the field. Stimulates students to think about interactions among multiple limited resources and the challenges plants as immobile organisms face when characteristics that increase the capture of one resource negatively impact the availability of another.…

When students think of evolution, they often think of those genetic changes that occur to make organisms different. This article describes how students can become better informed of convergent evolution, the process by which organisms with dissimilar ancestors come to resemble each other. (ZWH)

This activity involves elementary students in an investigation of the usefulness of plant parts as a food source. An introduction discusses the dependence of animal life on plants. Materials needed and step-by-step procedure are provided. (LZ)

Examined young children's understanding of seed origins and growth preconditions and the stages of plant growth. Found that, by 4.5 years, children realized that natural causal mechanisms underlie plant growth and appreciated the relationship of seeds to plants. Results suggest that preschoolers hold theory-like understandings of plants similar to…

The differences between measuring light intensity for the human eye and for plant photosynthesis are discussed. Conversion factors needed to convert various units of light are provided. Photosynthetic efficiency and the electricity costs for plants to undergo photosynthesis using interior lighting are described. (KR)

Discusses the succession of ecological and geological structures as exhibited at Glacier National Park, Montana. Topics discussed include glaciers, the geological history of Glacier National Park, glaciation of the Rocky Mountains, paleoecology, the vegetational history of the Northwestern United States, and glaciation and the modern vegetation.…

In three experiments, children were asked whether animals, plants, and artifacts that had been damaged could heal through regrowth and whether a person could mend them. Four-year olds realized that both animals and plants could regrow and that artifacts had to be fixed by humans. Three-year olds were less knowledgeable than four-year olds. (MDM)

Uses diagrams to aid in describing a simple, rapid technique for staining the nuclei of pollen grains that have been germinated in vitro. (ZWH)