Reference Terms
from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Plant
A plant is a living organism that belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is characterized by its ability to produce its own food through photosynthesis. Most plants are rooted in soil, have stems and leaves, and contain the green pigment chlorophyll, which captures sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. This process not only sustains the plant itself but also supports life on Earth by generating oxygen and serving as the foundation of most food chains.
Plants come in a wide variety of forms, from tiny mosses and grasses to towering trees and flowering shrubs. They play critical roles in ecosystems by stabilizing soil, regulating water cycles, providing habitats, and storing carbon. Many plants also have reproductive structures such as flowers or cones and produce seeds that enable them to reproduce and spread.
In addition to their ecological importance, plants are essential to human life. They provide food, medicine, fiber, fuel, and raw materials for countless industries. Their beauty and diversity also contribute to cultural and aesthetic value around the world. Understanding and protecting plant life is key to preserving biodiversity and sustaining the health of the planet.
Related Stories
1
2
Earth & Climate News
October 28, 2025
Oct. 27, 2025 — Extinction rates are not spiraling upward as many believe, according to a large-scale study analyzing 500 years of data. Researchers found that species losses peaked about a century ago and have decreased since, with different drivers shaping past ...
Oct. 27, 2025 — The Southern Ocean absorbs nearly half of all ocean-stored human CO2, but its future role is uncertain. Despite models predicting a decline, researchers found that freshening surface waters are currently keeping deep CO2 trapped below. This ...
Oct. 27, 2025 — A team of researchers has developed a floral-scented fungus that tricks mosquitoes into approaching and dying. The fungus emits longifolene, a natural scent that irresistibly draws them in. It’s harmless to humans, inexpensive to produce, and ...
Oct. 26, 2025 — New research shows that hippos lived in central Europe tens of thousands of years longer than previously thought. Ancient DNA and radiocarbon dating confirm they survived in Germany’s Upper Rhine Graben during a milder Ice Age phase. Closely ...
Oct. 26, 2025 — Scientists have uncovered that glaciers can temporarily cool the air around them, delaying some effects of global warming. This self-cooling, driven by katabatic winds, is nearing its peak and will likely reverse in the next two decades. Once ...
Oct. 25, 2025 — For the first time, scientists have seen a subduction zone actively breaking apart beneath the Pacific Northwest. Seismic data show the oceanic plate tearing into fragments, forming microplates in a slow, step-by-step collapse. This process, once ...
Oct. 24, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that El Niño and La Niña could become far more powerful and predictable as the planet warms. By 2050, the tropical Pacific may hit a tipping point, locking ENSO into strong, rhythmic oscillations that synchronize with ...
Oct. 23, 2025 — In the mist-shrouded mountains of New Guinea, a Czech researcher has achieved a world-first — capturing photos, video, and data of the elusive Subalpine Woolly Rat, Mallomys istapantap. Once known only from museum specimens, this giant, shaggy ...
Oct. 23, 2025 — Sea levels are rising faster than at any time in 4,000 years, scientists report, with China’s major coastal cities at particular risk. The rapid increase is driven by warming oceans and melting ice, while human activities like groundwater pumping ...
Oct. 23, 2025 — Scientists have uncovered evidence that megaquakes in the Pacific Northwest might trigger California’s San Andreas Fault. A research ship’s navigational error revealed paired sediment layers ...
Oct. 22, 2025 — Common dolphins in the North Atlantic are living significantly shorter lives, with female longevity dropping seven years since the 1990s. Researchers found this decline by analyzing stranded dolphins, revealing a 2.4% drop in population growth ...
Oct. 21, 2025 — Scientists are taking the once-radical concept of dimming the sun through stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) seriously, but a Columbia University team warns that reality is far messier than models suggest. Their study reveals how physical, ...
Latest Headlines
updated 12:56 pm ET
Oct. 28, 2025 — Fungi’s evolutionary roots stretch far deeper than once believed — up to 1.4 billion years ago, long before plants or animals appeared. Using advanced molecular dating and gene transfer analysis, ...
Oct. 28, 2025 — Scientists have traced the origins of complex life to the breakup of the supercontinent Nuna 1.5 billion years ago. This tectonic shift reduced volcanic carbon emissions, expanded shallow seas, and ...
Oct. 27, 2025 — New research shows that the rise of Sumer was deeply tied to the tidal and sedimentary dynamics of ancient Mesopotamia. Early communities harnessed predictable tides for irrigation, but when deltas ...
Oct. 27, 2025 — A massive crater hidden beneath the Atlantic seafloor has been confirmed as the result of an asteroid strike from 66 million years ago. The new 3D ...
Oct. 27, 2025 — Researchers traced tremor signals deep inside Tanzania’s Oldoinyo Lengai volcano, pinpointing their 3D locations for the first time. The study ...
Oct. 21, 2025 — Melting Arctic ice is revealing a hidden world of nitrogen-fixing bacteria beneath the surface. These microbes, not the usual cyanobacteria, enrich the ocean with nitrogen, fueling algae growth that ...
Oct. 19, 2025 — Researchers have developed a light-emitting sugar probe that exposes how marine microbes break down complex carbohydrates. The innovative fluorescent tool allows scientists to visualize when and ...
Oct. 19, 2025 — Mars’ north polar vortex locks its atmosphere in extreme cold and darkness, freezing out water vapor and triggering a dramatic rise in ozone. Scientists found that the lack of sunlight and moisture ...
Oct. 17, 2025 — Researchers have discovered chemical fingerprints of Earth's earliest incarnation, preserved in ancient mantle rocks. A unique imbalance in potassium isotopes points to remnants of “proto Earth” ...
Oct. 16, 2025 — Ryugu’s samples reveal that water activity on asteroids lasted far longer than scientists thought, possibly reshaping theories of how Earth gained its oceans. A billion-year-old impact may have ...