PL | EN

Australian stinging trees and scientists using shotguns to collect samples

The remaining of Europe’s ancient biodiverse forests need immediate protection. Primary forests constitute only 4% of woods in the continent. According to scientists, most of the European primary forests are in Scandinavia, Finland, and Eastern Europe. Still, local governments often are not aware of their value and do not offer proper protection.

The researchers from Black Rock Forest are using shotguns to collect the leaves from the crowns of high trees. They shoot down the branches which then fall to the ground – ready to be sampled. The scientists study how the trees adapt to climate change and the growing average air temperature. Trees’ communities are “migrating” –moving seeds are growing better in certain places, and so the species change their range. Leaf analysis allows comparing their metabolic activity.

Australian giant stinging trees (Dendrocnide excelsa) grow up to 40 meters high and their leaves are covered with needle-like hair. A sting by one of them causes an intense pain that may last for days. Researchers who examined the toxin that the leaves contain say it latches onto pain-detecting cells of the recipient, locking the afflicted area. Its molecular structure resembles a knot allowing the venom to tangle and repeatedly target pain receptors. The toxin is similar to those used by spiders, scorpions, and cone snails to incapacitate their victims.

More about: AustraliaUSAEurope
Read also
Help in hopeless situations: football in the Gaza Strip and Nigerian courts
Help in hopeless situations: football in the Gaza Strip and Nigerian courts
The creators of the Nigerian app Gavel use technology and a network of volunteers to enable people to access pro bono legal services and give them a chance in the face of the country’s dysfunctional and corrupt justice system. In Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2022, Nigeria ranked 150th out of 180 countries, and […]
The European food crisis and controversial airdrops in the Gaza Strip
The European food crisis and controversial airdrops in the Gaza Strip
European officials, food safety experts, and industry representatives recently gathered in Brussels to discuss potential solutions to a looming food crisis in Europe. The pandemic has created several challenges, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, disruptions to shipping routes and supply chains, and unpredictable and extreme weather conditions. Sadly, in 2022, weather and climatic events in […]
India, China and Pakistan: rivalry for the Maldives and Kashmir
India, China and Pakistan: rivalry for the Maldives and Kashmir
India and China compete for the small but strategically important Maldives, offering infrastructure investments and financial resources. China needs a military presence in the Arabian Sea to secure access to oil from the Persian Gulf. India considers the Maldives as its sphere of influence in the Indian Ocean and wants to ensure that the Maldives […]
Women’s rights: France and positive changes in the USA
Women’s rights: France and positive changes in the USA
After France became the only country to guarantee the right to abortion in its constitution explicitly, other European countries are examining their abortion laws. In Italy, a 1978 law allows medical personnel to refuse to perform an abortion on moral grounds, which in practice often significantly limits access to the procedure and forces women to […]
Oil and gas extraction vs environment and human health protection
Oil and gas extraction vs environment and human health protection
In Italy’s Polesine region, plans to resume methane drilling threaten subsiding land between the Po River Delta and the Adriatic Sea. The Italian government has lifted the ban on gas exploration in this area that has been in force since 1961, and the scenario assumes new drilling in the Adriatic Sea off the coast of […]
Previous issues