Imperceptible to us, plants are surrounded by a fine mist of airborne compounds that they use to communicate and protect themselves. Kind of like smells, these compounds repel hungry herbivores and warn neighboring plants of incoming assailants.

Scientists have known about these plant defenses since the 1980s, detecting them in over 80 plant species since then. Now, a team of Japanese researchers has deployed real-time imaging techniques to reveal how plants receive and respond to these aerial alarms.

This was a big gap in our understanding of plant chatter: we knew how plants send messages, but not how they receive them.

In 2024, there is still a place for physical workspaces – but employers need to think carefully about when and how to use them.

By associate professor christhina candido and dr behnaz avazpour, university of melbourne; iva durakovic, UNSW and dr samin marzban, university of wollongong.

HaptX’s new technology uses tactile and force feedback to allow people to ‘feel’ virtual objects with high fidelity.

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Researchers who investigated the site estimate that it’s about 700 years old.

AGAM, Indonesia, Jan 14 (Reuters) — Indonesia’s Marapi volcano erupted on Sunday, with ash rising 1,300 metres (4,300 feet) from the peak six weeks month after a fatal eruption, according to the country’s geological agency.

The volcano in West Sumatra province erupted at least twice by 337 GMT on Sunday, the agency said, urging the evacuation of people within 4.5 km (2.8 miles) of the centre of the eruption, with the possibility of lava flows in rivers and valleys.

“In case there’s a rain of ash, we urge residents to also use masks in order to prevent respiratory illness,” the agency said.

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