News and Media
Plant Research and Conservation at The New York Botanical Garden: News and Media
Article in Nature: Gymosperms on the EDGE
Driven by limited resources and a sense of urgency, the prioritization of species for conservation has been a persistent concern in conservation science. Gymnosperms (comprising ginkgo, conifers, cycads, and gnetophytes) are one of the most threatened groups of living organisms.
Martha Stewart: Healing Plants You Should Surround Yourself With
Imagine a location with a built-in natural apothecary that has healing potions, healthy CO2 balanced air, and energy that is blooming with so much positivity you can actually feel it. Welcome to your home with healing plants. Adding plants can transform your abode from just a place to lay your head to a certified zen den for all things self-care.
Popular Science: Mushrooms Might Save the World--If They Don't Kill Us First
Dr. Roy Halling is NYBG’s mushroom man. As curator of mycology, he splits his time between the lab and the field. On a tour of the Bronx-based herbarium, which houses almost 8 million specimens, Halling told PopSci about the kingdom’s incredible capacity for rot.
CNN en Español: Wild Medicine in the Tropics
“El poder curativo de las plantas” es parte de una exhibición que por estos días está realizando el Jardín Botánico de Nueva York. La encargada de hacer la selección, Dra. Ina Vandebroek, es una experta que se ha dedicado a estudiar el uso medicinal de las plantas en países tropicales. CNN en Español visitó la exhibición y nos tiene el informe.
WABC-TV Eyewtiness News features Wild Medicine in the Tropics
Eyewitness News reminds us that some of the most effective medicines come from nature. The story features Wild Medicine in the Tropics, an NYBG exhibit with nearly two dozen plants and trees along with information about how they are used to cure ailments.
NYBG Botanist Dr. Michael Balick Awarded Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration
NYBG Ethnobotanist Dr. Michael Balick has been named the 2018 recipient of the David Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration. The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) recognized Dr. Balick for a career spanning over four decades of botanical fieldwork and research around the globe.
MSU Spartan Newsroom: Old Specimen Provides New Insight into Invasive Algae
Through a combination of old and new technologies, researchers at The New York Botanical Garden have come closer to pinpointing the time and place of the first arrival of the Starry Stonewort, an invasive green alga that is spreading throughout the northeast and upper Midwest.
Ensia: Seeking Answers on Climate Change, Scientists Venture into the Vaults of the Past
This article on the environmental news web site, Ensia, details uses of natural history collections in climate change research. According to Dr. Barbara M. Thiers, Director of the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, historical information on changes in plant distributions is obtainable only from herbarium specimens.
National Geographic Food: On Tiny Island Farms, Biodiversity Is a Way of Life
This story appeared in the December, 2017, issue of the new British magazine, National Geographic Food. The article highlights the research of NYBG Ethnobotanist Dr. Ina Vandebroek in Jamaica, where she studies agricultural practices and crop diversity.
The American Gardner: The Role of Herbaria in New Discoveries
Much more than collections of dead plants and fungi, herbaria are irreplacable repositories of historical plant information vital to a wide variety of scientific applications. Featuring the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium and the recent exhibition What in the World is a Herbarium?
NY1 Visits The New York Botanical Garden's Plant Science Research Laboratory
NY1 goes inside the Pfizer Plant Research Laboratory—a part of the garden that most people do not get to see.
NYBG Scientists Help Produce the First Comprehensive Catalog of Amazonian Plants
Representing a major advance in understanding and conserving the plant life of one of the world’s greatest biodiversity hotspots, an international team of scientists—including four NYBG researchers—has created the first scientifically vetted list of known plant species in the Amazon Basin.
Island Life Magazine: Message Plants in an Age of Communication
The December 15, 2017, issue of Island Life Magazine features the work of NYBG researchers Drs. Michael Balick and Gregory Plunkett. The article examines the importance of message plants, which are used to convey information among people, amid the vast array of modern communications devices.
In Defense of Plants Podcast: Plant Conservation in the Modern Era
When it comes to conservation, plants have largely been overlooked. For instance, 100% of the world’s known threatened and endangered animals have been assessed by the IUCN whereas we have only assessed about 5% of plants. This is scary considering that so-called biodiversity hot spots are defined by their vascular flora.
Press Release: The Garden's New York City EcoFlora Project
In order to help protect New York City’s plant biodiversity and improve the public’s environmental literacy, NYBG has launched an ambitious initiative to create a one-stop, online database about the city’s ca. 2,000 naturally occurring plant species and their ecological roles.
Science Talk Blog
From the field to the lab, NYBG’s scientists aren’t just about white coats and microscopes—they’re adventurous and determined globe-trotters who live to discover, understand, and preserve Earth’s biodiversity. The Science Talk blog exposes the far-reaching work of the Garden’s botanical specialists.