Kew Science blog
Explore some of the research and activities of our global science and conservation programmes. Keep up to date with current developments in Kew science and science policy.
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9th November 2017
Colombia: megadiverse and still to be discovered
Mauricio Diazgranados reveals how Kew is contributing to the ‘green’ development of this country through capacity building and scientific research on its natural resources.
7th November 2017
Six continents, five years: one big plant book
Plants of the World – An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Vascular Plants, the first to describe all 451 families of flowering plants, ferns, lycopods and gymnosperms, has been published.
30th October 2017
The Empty Quarter: Arabia’s disappearing plant life
Emma Seal introduces a new Kew project in Oman, set to safeguard the unique Arabian flora of the region.
23rd October 2017
Plant colours are not all about pigments
Kew Scientist Paula Rudall reflects on a long-term Cambridge-Kew collaboration on why structural colour in plants is so important in the natural world, including helping birds and bees to find food and pollinate flowers.
16th October 2017
Kew journeys into the wilds of Indonesia
Kew scientist and Head of the Identification and Naming Department, Tim Utteridge, describes a recent trip to Indonesia and work that Kew is doing with the country to record and protect its incredibly rich plant diversity.
9th October 2017
Amor-phew-phallus
Kew Scientist Geoffrey Kite and Amorphophallus expert Wilbert Hetterscheid explain why they spent their evenings trying to capture the odours of some of the world's weirdest and smelliest 'flowers'.
27th September 2017
Do lime trees kill bees?
Hauke Koch and Phil Stevenson investigate the theories behind the mysterious mass deaths of bees on lime trees, and other effects of pollen and nectar chemicals on pollinators.
18th September 2017
Treating tropical ulcers: the quest for a plant-based cure
Kew scientist Tom Prescott describes his search for a plant medicine to treat tropical ulcers in remote areas of Papua New Guinea.
12th September 2017
Madagascar’s wildlife – a President’s vision
The President of Madagascar visits Kew and discusses critical wildlife conservation in the country with our scientists and members of Kew’s Madagascar Conservation Centre. Kew has strong links to Madagascar, employing a team of Malagasy botanists who implement a range of projects focused on plant diversity, research and conservation.
10th September 2017
Botanical Wonders in Warrington
Tracking Kew’s Victorian networks leads to exciting discoveries
7th September 2017
Revealing the treasures of Kew’s Herbarium to a digital world
Kew's Herbarium has around 7 million preserved plants from around the globe - you can help us reveal them to the world.
4th September 2017
The SPARC Project – safeguarding our protected areas and rare species from climate change
Sarah Veniard explores the collaboration between Kew, Conservation International and six leading universities who are investigating how climate change will affect protected areas and rare species in them.
29th August 2017
Ain’t no mountain high enough
Decoding the unique chromosomal complexities of alpine daisies, dandelions and thistles
21st August 2017
Take a look at the science in Kew’s Herbarium and Library
Why opening Kew’s buildings and rare plant and botanical art collections to the public is an important part of our work
14th August 2017
Searching for rare plants in the Julian Alps of Slovenia
From dense forests to exposed mountain peaks, a Kew MSc student shares his experience of searching Slovenia for rare saxifrages.
7th August 2017
Discovering botanical treasures in Guinea
In this blog post, Xander van der Burgt of Kew reveals some of the discoveries Kew scientists have made since they started working in Guinea, West Africa.
1st August 2017
Scanning trees with laser beams
The Science Festival is back at Kew Gardens this weekend (4–6 August)! Science Festival intern, Mair Bosley delves into the science behind one of our fantastic festival stalls to help us see the wood for the trees.
28th July 2017
Putting bamboo and rattan on the map
This week, Kew launches a World Checklist and Atlas for Rattans and Bamboos. In this post, we explain Kew's involvement in these much needed books.
24th July 2017
Plants, drugs and rocky soil
Owen Durant, Natural Product Researcher at Kew, explains how scientists are using plant science in the quest to discover life-saving drugs.
17th July 2017
Enset: bananas on steroids!
Mair Bosley reveals the fascinating background behind enset, featuring in this summer's Science Festival.