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 ...

An odd little gourd called the squirting cucumber has an explosive reproductive strategy that has intrigued naturalists since the days of the Roman Empire. Squirting cucumbers blast their seeds over ...

Until now, the exact mechanism of the squirting cucumber's seed dispersal -- and how this affects its reproductive success -- remained poorly understood. In the new study, researchers from the ...

"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 ...

Take a look at squirting cucumber explosive seed dispersal in real time and slowed down. Credit: Helen Gorges/CC BY-NC-ND One doesn’t normally associate ballistics with botany, but most of us don’t ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...