Welcome to From the Desk of a Plant Ecologist, my weekly space for sharing the discoveries, questions, and surprises that make the study of plants so fascinating. My background in plant ecology shapes

When we think about fire in a forest, it is easy to imagine heat as the main culprit. But fire leaves behind more than heat. Smoke carries chemical signals, while ash changes the physical and chemical

I aim to help Cuban entrepreneurs check whether a product can be legally exported to the U.S. under Section 515.582 — with a curated list of allowed goods.

I've been teaching Chemistry for more than 5 years now, and it amazes me how people don't see many subjects beyond the classroom and passing exams. Just a couple of days ago, I was teaching a student about

On July 11 of this year I wrote a blog about a friend who had cancer. My 'friend' was about to undergo a procedure that was intended to kill a tumor on his adrenal gland. As some readers might have guessed,

For about two years, I worked as a pharmacy technician. Looking back now, there are so many little things we did that I never questioned. One of them was how casually we handled the timing of medications.

Hope Credit:George Frederik Watts (1817-1904). 1855 Public domain Oligometastatic cancer. Quite a mouthful, but one that offers solace in the midst of an unwelcome diagnosis. Most of us have used terms

A few years ago, I stumbled upon one of those stories that makes you pause and say, "Nah... this can't be real." It was about a Scottish woman named Joy Milne. For years, she insisted that her

One of the topics I enjoy teaching students the most is the scientific method. There is something deeply satisfying about explaining the process of observation, hypothesis formulation, experimentation,

I was around 18 years old when I had my first alcoholic drink. It was freshly tapped palm wine. You could drink gallons of it without wanting to stop, at least until the alcohol kicked in and you suddenly

Food is life, no doubt about that. Without food, no human being can survive beyond a couple of days, with the highest recorded survival period being around 21 days. As long as an organism is alive, it

I love telling a particular joke to my students whenever I'm advising them to study adequately. The joke revolves around the law of use and disuse of organs according to Jean Lamarck. Some like to call

Observing the cactus flowers and fruit in the garden

Global warming is not entirely a bad thing. In fact, without it, the Earth might have remained locked in an ice age, making much of today’s civilization impossible. The warming effect caused by greenhouse

I have listened to and read about several arguments against vaccines. Initially, I thought many of these arguments were simply dumb and reeked of a lack of education. With time, however, I started seeing

It is one thing to have a natural penchant for something, and another to be doing something for economic gain. It is, however, possible for one's passion to be economically beneficial. Such is my case

I first saw the headline on Sky News: Drinking young blood could prevent age-related diseases, study reveals. Even though the article date 2018, it hit me like a fresh one out of the laboratory. On a normal

Some of my readers know that about a year ago--in May of 2025, to be precise--my husband had complex surgery on his leg. It is not a common operation. When he went for physical therapy, therapists who

Something must kill a man. The above phrase is a popular joke in Nigerian societies, and perhaps beyond. It is usually pronounced out of frustration against several lifestyle restrictions recommended for

Reflecting on How Writing Has Changed Writing used to be so much fun back in 2017, when I first joined this community. In those days, I practically ate and breathed this space. I can vividly remember the