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From gardening to watching birds at backyard feeders, connecting with nature offers many opportunities to engage with your surroundings and tune out the cacophony of daily life. Plant biologists Jacob Suissa and Ben Goulet-Scott offer another option: botanizing, or observing and appreciating plants.
Like birding, botanizing doesn’t require much gear: A hand lens, field guide and maybe a plant ID app will get you started. And because plants are so central to our lives, you don’t need to look farther than your garden, or even the foods in your kitchen, to take on a deeper appreciation for plants’ role in nature.
This week we also liked stories on Jim Croce on the 50th anniversary of his death, the medieval Tinmel mosque destroyed in Morocco’s earthquake, and research on deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression.
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You may be surprised by what’s growing on a familiar trail.
Benjamin Goulet-Scott
Jacob S. Suissa, University of Tennessee; Ben Goulet-Scott, Harvard University
Botanizing is the practice of observing and appreciating plant life. Two plant scientists explain how it benefits people and the planet.
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Jim Croce went from struggling folk musician to chart-topping singer-songwriter.
Charlie Gillett Collection via Getty Images
Ted Olson, East Tennessee State University
Jim Croce’s brief time in the national spotlight was enough to put a bevy of songs in heavy rotation on radio stations – and on stage in the hands of a lengthy A-list of fellow musicians.
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Teamwork is a common theme among the growing number of board games that deal with climate change.
Victor Habbick Visions/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
Debra J. Rosenthal, John Carroll University
While most board games are designed for one person to win, climate change games are about saving the world.
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Nolan Fahrenkopf, University at Albany, State University of New York
Post-9/11 international cooperation on weapons proliferation is giving way to a fractured regime dominated by ideology.
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Philip Anloague, University of Dayton
Two days after Rodgers’ injury, the NFL players union called on the league to convert all playing fields to natural grass.
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Abbey Stockstill, Southern Methodist University
Morocco is grappling not just with the loss of lives from the recent earthquake, but with the destruction of its cultural heritage – a 12th century mosque in the village of Tinmel is among them.
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The Conversation Quiz 🧠
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Here’s the first question of this week’s edition:
In a deal announced on Sept. 18, President Biden agreed to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian funds in exchange for what?
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A. Nuclear inspections
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B. A promise not to attack Israel
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C. Five American detainees
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D. 5 million bootleg copies of "Argo"
Test your knowledge
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