Mysteries Abound Intriguing incidents seem to occur at the most unexpected times. Recent events certainly fit that pattern. On a recent Shabbos / Sabbath (Saturday, 9-18-21)at approximately 10:45am, our minyan (prayer group) was approaching the end of services. Instead of being inside the synagogue building at W. 246th St and Independence Avenue, we were in […]
Shabbos Mystery Bird Read More »
Is This a Modern Day Miracle!? If you want to see Methuselah, he is living on a kibbutz in southern Israel! Isn’t Methuselah the longest lived person named in the Bible at 969 years? And wouldn’t he have died a long time ago? Well, yes. All that is true but on our last trip to
Methuselah is alive and well Read More »
Verifying the First Experiment It was so exciting to have an ancient seed germinate and grow that Sarah Sallon of the Hadassah Medical Center decided to repeat the experiment. This was done to rule out any flukes with the first experiment that yielded Methuselah. Once again, she asked local archeologists for seeds from their collections
Methuselah has company Read More »
Photosynthesis by formerly Terrestrial Plants The sea grasses are green because they create their own food through photosynthesis. The green pigment, chlorophyll is sequestered in the plant organelle caused chloroplasts. Therefore, adequate sunlight is important for them in the same way that it is important for terrestrial plants. As photosynthesizing plants, sea grasses are a
The Green Beneath the Sea: Seagrasses Part II Read More »
Our Mysterious Ocean A Day at the Beach Despite having spent many a day on the beach at Coney Island in my younger years, I have never developed a love of the oceans; nevertheless, I have never been oblivious to its importance. Life began in the sea and the sea has nourished the biosphere from
Underwater meadows? Impossible! Read More »
Taking Stock When I was younger, there was a seasonality for produce. We looked forward to enjoying ripe strawberries in springtime and nothing compared to a warm peach dripping its juices in on a hot summer’s day. Over the years so much has changed. Positive changes include progress in the sciences with its attendant health
Rosh Hashanah and Botany Read More »
Gaining Control Over Poison Ivy Lately, there seems to be more interest in tackling the poison ivy problem. Previously nurseries sold various spray products containing amitrol. When sprayed on the poison ivy leaves – as well as other weeds – it traveled down to the roots and killed the entire plant. One of Many Poison Ivy
In Despair over Poison Ivy- Try Goats! Read More »
Every Encounter is Personal OK, yes, it is a native plant. But does that make it either useful or benign?!! Hardly! I am talking about that beautiful but deadly vine – poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans. Actually the name Toxicodendron says it all; toxicos is Greek for poison and dendron means tree. Radicans is Latin for
Beautiful But Dangerous – Poison Ivy Read More »
How Many Petals Does it Take to Make a Beautiful Flower? I could only find one plant with a single petal. That plant is a native of southeast Asia and a member of the Fabaceae family, Afzelia xylocarpa. Although calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica – Family Araceae) are frequently mentioned as having one petal, the
Fibonacci Numbers – We Are Not Done Read More »
Now to the Details Assorted Spirals Careful examination of the patterns of alternate leaves shows them spiraling around the stem. This pattern can be expressed as a fraction. The numerator – the upper number of the fraction – indicates the number of spirals needed to complete the pattern while the denominator – the lower number
Fibonacci Numbers – Are plants mathematicians?! Read More »