Why do plants have thorns?
By DW
30 June 2019 |
1:00 pm
Plants can't run away if they're faced with danger. They need other ways...to protect themselves.
Related
30 Dec 2019
Julio Betancur, a biologist and professor at the National University of Colombia, has collected more than 22,000 plants to document Colombia’s rich floral diversity, which is now disappearing due to climate change and deforestation.
14 Jun 2020
Israeli scientists say they have produced hydrogen from plants in a development that they hope could eventually lead to using vegetation to produce electricity.
23 Jun 2020
After a three-month long closure, the opera house in Barcelona, El Liceu, reopens with its first concert... for 2,292 plants. The initiative, an idea of Spanish artist Eugenio Ampudia, looks to examine our relationship with nature and the impact the lockdown has had on public spaces.
5 Sep 2020
Pope Francis warns that Lebanon faces "extreme danger that threatens the very existence of the country" following last month's massive explosion.
3 Oct 2020
Since the spring, the border between the United States and Canada has been closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This closure impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of American patients, who are used to buying medicine over on the Canadian side of the border, where it's much cheaper. Some Americans suffering from diabetes have even begun decreasing their food intake in order to ration their insulin supply. Our Canada correspondents report.
7 Oct 2020
In France, the arrival of 5G technology is imminent: phone network providers hope to begin 5G operations by the end of the year. Together they have spent more than €2 billion purchasing the required frequencies. While the transition to a 5G world is expected to revolutionise various parts of the economy, including the industry and health sectors, there are also fears about its rollout. Many NGOs are warning of health and environmental risks. FRANCE 24's Catherine Norris-Trent, Hanane Saïdani and Wassim Cornet report.
9 Jan 2021
In Kenya, abortion is strictly prohibited except in cases of rape or medical emergency. Women and girls risk their lives with back-alley abortionists. DW's Mariel Müller met a young woman who survived an unsafe abortion and the man who carried it out.
10 Jan 2021
Tall and lean with a powerful chest, the rare Sarail hound has been treasured in Bangladesh for centuries. But the dogs -- believed to have descended from English greyhounds and sighthounds owned by Mughal-era feudal landlords, or from hunting dogs brought by Arab traders -- are dwindling in numbers with just dozens remaining in the South East Asian country, according to some estimates.
20 Jan 2021
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine says he fears for his life since losing last week's presidential election. He tells FRANCE 24 that he and his wife are still under house arrest and surrounded by the military. Also, around 140 people are killed and tens of thousands forced from their homes in Sudan's troubled Darfur region. And finally, the world's largest fish – whale sharks – normally migrate thousands of kilometres every year, but some are skipping the trip to stay in Tanzania.
17 Apr 2021
Archaeological sites in Sudan can be found across the Nile Valley. These pyramids, temples, statues, jewels and other archaeological treasures date from the Meroitic Empire, an ancient Nubian dynasty that ruled over a vast territory from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century AD. But this priceless heritage is today under threat from urbanisation, grave robbers and gold diggers. In order to save what's left, the government is raising popular awareness. Our correspondents report.
3 Jun 2021
The Brazilian multinational JBS has closed plants in Australia, Canada and the US, driving livestock futures down, pork prices up and sparking global food supply fears.
Latest
17 mins ago
In Peru, approximately 270,000 women and 22,000 men were sterilised between 1996 and 2000 as the result of a controversial birth control policy. The goal of ex-President Alberto Fujimori and his administration was to reduce poverty. But thousands of indigenous women, who did not always speak Spanish, say they were forcibly sterilised. More than two decades on, victims are still fighting for justice.
17 mins ago
Pentagon officials say Bilal al-Sudani was killed in a special military operation and was a "key facilitator" for the "Islamic State" group's expansion.
17 mins ago
Japan faces an existential threat with its birth rate at an all-time low, yet the island nation has still to fully embrace immigration as a solution to the population decline. To tackle the problem, the government has slowly turned to bringing in foreign workers. We take a closer look.
44 mins ago
The Naira redesign and the facing out of the old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes by the CBN has continued to cause an uproar among the citizens as no one are not able to assess the new notes. Just a few days ago, security agencies raided spots across the country to arrest those keeping the new notes.
3 hours ago
A judicial investigation is finally underway after Peru carried out a forced sterilisation program of mainly indigenous women during the late 1990s. Our reporter meets some of the victims who are still suffering to this day. Also Sudan's newest recruits to martial arts are now fearing the fact they are women will see authorities demand an end to their involvement.
3 hours ago
Wolves were once the stuff of myths. But decades of conservation efforts have gradually brought them back to life, with the predator reclaiming lost territory across Europe. Their return, though, has sparked tensions within rural communities and questions over how man and wolf can peacefully coexist.