Science
Biodiversity and the discovery of plant-based medicines
Nature is essential to life in more ways than we know. As regards the discovery of new medicines, or the rediscovery of some that have been used for a long time, biodiversity never ceases to give us the best it has to offer. The loss of biodiversity should cause, among others, this major impact: loss of essential raw materials for the health and well-being of societies.
Floresta do Saber exhibits Albino de Carvalho wood collection
The exhibition on woods from Portugal under the name “Madeiras de Portugal” arrives at the Floresta do Saber laboratory in Aveiro, featuring samples from the main collection and the eucalyptus collection of Xiloteca Albino de Carvalho. 78 samples will be on display in this laboratory located in Quinta de São Francisco until September 2023.
Biomimicry: when biodiversity inspires technology
When Man seeks to respond to a challenge, he often finds inspiration in nature, relying on the improvements resulting from more than four billion years of evolution. Biomimicry helps us overcome many obstacles in the fields of design and engineering, agronomy and geosciences and to lead a more sustainable life, commute more efficiently and even fly. Here are ten examples from the animal and plant realms.
There are 11 species of Portuguese oak trees, a new list states
For several decades it said that there are eight native Quercus in the Portuguese flora, but a new botanical list raises the number of these species of Portuguese oak trees to 11, the result of a long and complex research work led by Carlos Vila-Viçosa.
