Science and conservation news
Keep up to date with the latest science and conservation news and blogs from Kew. Here you will find all the latest articles about our work in the UK and around the world. Research news of interest to specialists is reported in our specialist science news page and our newsletter Kew Scientist.
Specialist science news | Go behind the scenes with Kew blogs
Merger creates largest Fungarium in the world at Kew
30 Sep 2010
Two of the most extensive collections of dried fungus specimens, those at Kew and CABI (IMI), have been combined to create a fungarium at Kew holding around 1.25 million specimens.
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New study shows one fifth of the world’s plants are under threat of extinction
29 Sep 2010
A global analysis of extinction risk for the world's plants, conducted by Kew together with the Natural History Museum, London and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has revealed that the world’s plants are as threatened as mammals, with one in five of the world’s plant species threatened with extinction.
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Ecologists find new clues on climate change in 150 year-old pressed plants.
22 Sep 2010
Plants picked up to 150 years ago by Victorian collectors and held by the million in herbarium collections across the world could become a powerful – and much needed – new source of data for studying climate change, according to research published this week in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Ecology.
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Resilience vs Risk - how nature recovers after disturbance
by: Denise Deluca, Business Inspired by Nature blog21 Sep 2010
Unlike the business world, nature has no ability to predict future events, but instead uses 'resilience' as its strategy for recovery after disturbance. Inherent within this are creativity and innovation which bring wider benefits. In these transformational times of volatile change, businesses can improve their ability to thrive (not just survive) by focusing on their resilience.
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The Plant List - the first working list of all known plants
20 Sep 2010
Kew and Missouri Botanical Gardens in the United States are collaborating with partners worldwide to create the first working list of all known plants.
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Vascular Plant Classification in botanic gardens – an international approach
20 Sep 2010
In this item James Wearn provides an overview for botanists on the Vascular Plant Classification Committee (VPCC), of which he is the Secretary, and the recent agreement achieved for the rearrangement of plant specimens in herbaria and other collections.
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Planting up a succulent display
by: Sam Crosfield, Tropical Nursery blog17 Sep 2010
Learn how the Dry Tropics team prepare and plant up a dramatic display for the public using stunning succulents that are usually cared for in the Tropical Nursery.
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The Tropical Nursery Open Day
by: Sam Crosfield, Tropical Nursery blog15 Sep 2010
Members of the public are invited to the Tropical Nursery Open Day on Sunday 19th September to go behind the scenes and see rare and intriguing plants including the world's smallest water lily.
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Visit Kew's Library, Art & Archives this Open House weekend
by: Fiona Ainsworth, Library, Art and Archives blog15 Sep 2010
A chance to see behind the scenes in Kew’s Herbarium, Library, Art & Archives.
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We know that the public are worried about species disappearing, but who’s heard of Nagoya?
13 Sep 2010
Working in partnership with Kew and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the Natural History Museum launches The Big Nature Debate to explore public concerns about biodiversity loss ahead of the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan.
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Science & Conservation
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Specialist science news
Elderflower surprise
10 Jun 2013
Scientists at Kew Gardens have discovered compounds new to science in ordinary elderflower drinks.
Speciation systems on Lord Howe Island
06 Jun 2013
Lord Howe Island provides evidence in plants for the ‘syngameon hypothesis’ of adaptive evolution.
Is our daily cup of coffee under threat?
08 Nov 2012
A new study from Kew suggests that Arabica coffee could be extinct in the wild within 70 years.
Director (CEO and Chief Scientist) of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to return to Australia
14 Sep 2011
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew announced today that Director (CEO and Chief Scientist), Professor Stephen Hopper FLS will step down in autumn 2012 after six years in the job.
