Brighamia hand pollination cliff rappel

Biologists rappel cliffs to pollinate Hawaiian plants

The Hawaiian plant genus Brighamia has about 120 wild plants across its two species. Because its natural pollinator is presumed extinct, biologists rappel down 3,000-foot cliffs to hand-pollinate the flowers so the plants can produce seeds.

Paper reached Samarkand before the battle said to have brought it there

A traditional story says Chinese prisoners brought papermaking to Central Asia after the Battle of Talas in 751. But archaeologists have found paper in Samarkand from decades earlier. Chinese and Central Asian paper was also made with different materials and methods.

French and Latin supplied over half of English words

About 56%

French and Latin supplied about 56 per cent of Modern English words. Yet English kept Germanic grammar and sound patterns, along with most of its basic everyday words. A language’s words can therefore come largely from one source while its structure and common vocabulary come from another.

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Brighamia hand pollination cliff rappel

Biologists rappel cliffs to pollinate Hawaiian plants

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