Australian Rhodamnia zombi Tree Faces Extinction from Myrtle Rust

📰 Original title: Scientists warn Australia’s “zombie tree” could vanish within a generation

🤖 IA: It's clickbait ⚠️
👥 Usuarios: It's clickbait ⚠️

View full AI summary: https://killbait.com/en/australian-rhodamnia-zombi-tree-faces-extinction-from-myrtle-rust/?redirpost=bc00cc6c-7c36-47a2-b180-5b77e373c908

#environment #endangeredplants #myrtlerust #conservation

WA’s rarest orchid the Queen of Sheba added to critically endangered list https://www.swtimes.com.au/news/regional/was-rarest-orchid-the-queen-of-sheba-added-to-critically-endangered-list-c-21680895 https://thewest.com.au/news/regional/was-rarest-orchid-the-queen-of-sheba-added-to-critically-endangered-list-c-21680895

#EndangeredPlants #AustralianFlora

Cape Peninsula's Wildflowers Face Significant Threats

Many unique wildflowers in the Cape Peninsula are threatened. A new list shows dangers like losing land and bad plants. We need to protect them.

#CapePeninsula, #Wildflowers, #Conservation, #EndangeredPlants, #SouthAfrica

https://newsletter.tf/cape-peninsula-wildflowers-danger/

The beautiful wildflowers of the Cape Peninsula are facing serious problems. A new study shows that many plant types are in danger because of things like building and plants from other places. Conservation efforts are needed to save these special flowers.

#CapePeninsula, #Wildflowers, #Conservation, #EndangeredPlants, #SouthAfrica

https://newsletter.tf/cape-peninsula-wildflowers-danger/

A butternut (𝘑𝘶𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘢), which is native to this area and in a threatened status, at Thompson Park. There's an oriental bittersweet (𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴) vine wrapped around its lower trunk.

#ThickTrunkTuesday #trees #EndangeredPlants

The magenta lilly pilly is a rainforest tree with a total population of around 1,200 plants spread across a narrow 400 kilometre stretch of coastal NSW.

Plants produce white flower-clusters at the end of each branch between November and February. Its bright pink edible fruit is dispersed by flying foxes and rainforest birds. Luckily, we have a beautiful mature specimen growing in our backyard. It’s flowering now, so the fruit is still coming.

But, as a summer desert for a festive family feast this weekend, we had similarly flavoured marinated and chilled Australian bush plums with frozen meringue crumbled on top. 🍨

#MagentaLillyPilly #EdibleBushFoods #BushTucker #NativeFoods #EndangeredPlants #NSW #Australia

Dwindling tropical rainforests mean lost medicines yet to be discovered in their plants

About 80% of the world population relies on compounds derived from plants for medicines to treat various ailments, such as malaria and cancer, and to suppress pain. Our future medicines are likely to come from plants, but how effectively are we protecting these plants from extinction? We aren’t doing enough and we must do more!

#Medicine 💊 humans need for our future survival will likely come from #rainforests 🍃🌳 Yet we aren’t stopping #deforestation! Help forests and forest animals! Be #vegan 🥦🍆🥑 and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴🪔☠️🔥🧐⛔️ @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2023/04/23/dwindling-tropical-rainforests-mean-lost-medicines-yet-to-be-discovered-in-their-plants/

80% of the world’s population relies on #medicines 💊from #rainforests. As greedy companies destroy #Borneo, the #Congo and the #Amazon, the world edges ever closer to losing medicines forever! #Boycottpalmoil 🌴💀🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2023/04/23/dwindling-tropical-rainforests-mean-lost-medicines-yet-to-be-discovered-in-their-plants/

Written by Walter Suza, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Agronomy, Iowa State University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Walter Suza, Iowa State University

As fires continue to burn in the Amazon and land is cleared for agriculture, most of the concerns have focused on the drop in global oxygen production if swaths of the forests disappear. But I’m also worried about the loss of potential medicines that are plentiful in forests and have not yet been discovered. Plants and humans also share many genes, so it may be possible to test various medicines in plants, providing a new strategy for drug testing.

As a plant physiologist, I am interested in plant biodiversity because of the potential to develop more resilient and nutritious crops. I am also interested in plant biodiversity because of its contribution to human health. About 80% of the world population relies on compounds derived from plants for medicines to treat various ailments, such as malaria and cancer, and to suppress pain.

Future medicines may come from plants

One of the greatest challenges in fighting diseases is the emergence of drug resistance that renders treatment ineffective. Physicians have observed drug resistance in the fight against malaria, cancer, tuberculosis and fungal infections. It is likely that drug resistance will emerge with other diseases, forcing researchers to find new medicines.

Plants are a rich source of new and diverse compounds that may prove to have medicinal properties or serve as building blocks for new drugs. And, as tropical rainforests are the largest reservoir of diverse species of plants, preserving biodiversity in tropical forests is important to ensure the supply of medicines of the future.

Plants and new cholesterol-lowering medicines

The goal of my own research is to understand how plants control the production of biochemical compounds called sterols. Humans produce one sterol, called cholesterol, which has functions including formation of testosterone and progesterone – hormones essential for normal body function. By contrast, plants produce a diverse array of sterols, including sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, and cholesterol. These sterols are used for plant growth and defense against stress but also serve as precursors to medicinal compounds such as those found in the Indian Ayurvedic medicinal plant, ashwagandha.

Humans produce cholesterol through a string of genes, and some of these genes produce proteins that are the target of medicines for treating high cholesterol. Plants also use this collection of genes to make their sterols. In fact, the sterol production systems in plants and humans are so similar that medicines used to treat high cholesterol in people also block sterol production in plant cells.

I am fascinated by the similarities between how humans and plants manufacture sterols, because identifying new medicines that block sterol production in plants might lead to medicines to treat high cholesterol in humans.

New medicines for chronic and pandemic diseases

An example of a gene with medical implications that is present in both plants and humans is NPC1, which controls the transport of cholesterol. However, the protein made by the NPC1 gene is also the doorway through which the Ebola virus infects cells. Since plants contain NPC1 genes, they represent potential systems for developing and testing new medicines to block Ebola.

This will involve identifying new chemical compounds that interfere with plant NPC1. This can be done by extracting chemical compounds from plants and testing whether they can effectively prevent the Ebola virus from infecting cells.

There are many conditions that might benefit from plant research, including high cholesterol, cancer and even infectious diseases such as Ebola, all of which have significant global impact. To treat high cholesterol, medicines called statins are used. Statins may also help to fight cancer. However, not all patients tolerate statins, which means that alternative therapies must be developed.

Tropical rainforests are medicine reservoirs

The need for new medicines to combat heart disease and cancer is dire. A rich and diverse source of chemicals can be found in natural plant products. With knowledge of genes and enzymes that make medicinal compounds in native plant species, scientists can apply genetic engineering approaches to increase their production in a sustainable manner.

Tropical rainforests house vast biodiversity of plants, but this diversity faces significant threat from human activity.

To help students in my genetics and biotechnology class appreciate the value of plants in medical research, I refer to findings from my research on plant sterols. My goal is to help them recognize that many cellular processes are similar between plants and humans. My hope is that, by learning that plants and animals share similar genes and metabolic pathways with health implications, my students will value plants as a source of medicines and become advocates for preservation of plant biodiversity.

Walter Suza, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Agronomy, Iowa State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Written by Walter Suza, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Agronomy, Iowa State University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

ENDS

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

Big brands using “sustainable” RSPO palm oil yet still causing deforestation (there are many others)

Nestlé

Nestlé is destroying rainforests, releasing mega-tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere, and killing hundreds of endangered species. Once these animals are gone – they are gone for good. See Nestlé’s full list of…

Colgate-Palmolive

Despite global retail giant Colgate-Palmolive forming a coalition with other brands in 2020, virtue-signalling that they will stop all deforestation, they continue to do this – destroying rainforest and releasing mega-tonnes of carbon…

Mondelēz

Mondelez destroys rainforests, sending animals extinct and release mega-tonnes of carbon into air for so-called “sustainable” palm oil. Boycott them!

Unilever

In 2020, global retail giant Unilever unveiled a deforestation-free supply chain promise. By 2023 they would be deforestation free. This has been and gone and they are still causing deforestation. This brand has…

Danone

Savvy consumers have been pressuring French Dairy multinational Danone for decades to cease using deforestation palm oil. Yet they actually haven’t stopped this. From their website: ‘Danone is committed to eliminating deforestation from…

PepsiCo

Despite decades of promises to end deforestation for palm oil PepsiCo (owner of crisp brands Frito-Lay, Cheetos and Doritos along with hundreds of other snack food brands) have continued sourcing palm oil that…

Procter & Gamble

Despite decades of promises to end deforestation for palm oil Procter & Gamble or (P&G as they are also known) have continued sourcing palm oil that causes ecocide, indigenous landgrabbing, and the habitat…

Kelloggs/Kellanova

In late 2023, Kelloggs became Kellanova for their US arm. Savvy consumers have been pressuring Kelloggs for decades to cease using deforestation palm oil. Yet they actually haven’t stopped this. From their website:…

Johnson & Johnson

Global mega-brand Johnson & Johnson have issued a position statement on palm oil in 2020. ‘At Johnson & Johnson, we are committed to doing our part to address the unsustainable rate of global…

PZ Cussons

PZ Cussons is a British-owned global retail giant. They own well-known supermarket brands in personal care, cleaning, household goods and toiletries categories, such as Imperial Leather, Morning Fresh, Carex, Radiant laundry powder and…

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Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

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