PRIMITIVE FORESTS

Very few people know that these common plants are prehistoric

Image: Ellicia

Compared to the age of our planet, we humans aren’t too different from toddlers, still figuring out how things work on Earth. But some plant species have been around for far longer than us, yet they continue to defy time and evolutionary pressures, offering us a unique window into a world long lost.

Put on your gardening boots and join us for a look at 10 of the most remarkable botanical survivors.

Image: Rapha Wilde

Considered a "living fossil", ginkgo biloba goes back over 270 million years and has changed very little since the age of dinosaurs. Easily identifiable for their distinctive fan-shaped leaves, ginkgo trees are revered for their medicinal properties, particularly in traditional Chinese medicine. The last living species of its botanical order, this tree is exceptionally hardy, with some specimens considered to be older than 2,500 years.

Image: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0

Popularly known as a "dinosaur tree," the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) was thought to be extinct until its rediscovery in 1994 in a remote Australian forest. Belonging to a family that dates back over 200 million years, this ancient conifer is a botanical marvel. Interestingly, despite its common name, Wollemia__nobilis is not a true pine, nor a member of the pine family.

Image: moon-app .com

Horsetails (Equisetum) have thrived for over 300 million years, making them one of the oldest surviving plant lineages. These primitive plants are the only living genus of its family, and are characterized by their jointed stems and spore-producing cones. During the late Paleozoic Era, these plants dominated the understory of forests and fossils are often found in coal deposits of that period.

Image: Clyde Gravenberch

Ferns are among the oldest vascular plants on Earth, with fossils dating back around 360 million years. They don’t produce seeds or flowers, and reproduce entirely via spores. Despite their ancient origins, ferns continue to flourish worldwide and are highly adaptable, living in a wide variety of habitats, from lush forests to dry rock. Many species are highly dependent on a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi, underscoring the evolutionary importance of this interspecies interaction.

Image: David Clode

Cycads are another botanical class that has remained relatively unchanged for over 200 million years. These palm-like plants were once abundant during the Mesozoic era and are now prized for their ornamental value in gardens and landscapes. Interestingly, cycads rely on extremely specialized pollinators - usually a specific species of beetle - and are dioecious, meaning that individual plants can either be male or female.

Image: Sara&Joachim on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

One of the strangest plants in this list, the Welwitschia mirabilis is a living relic of a bygone era, with a lineage stretching back over 90 million years. Its appearance is so alien that, if you stumbled upon it by chance, you might easily confuse a very healthy individual with a dying one. Endemic to the Namib Desert, this peculiar plant is very well adapted to survive extreme arid conditions, and some can live well over 2,000 years! Curiously, since the plant does not form tree rings or any similar structures, the only way to determine its age is by radiocarbon dating.

Image: Poyt448, Peter Woodard, CC BY-SA 4.0

Liverworts, simple plants resembling mosses, have persisted for over 470 million years, making them one of the oldest known plant groups. These small, ancient organisms are often overlooked, but play crucial roles in ecosystems, from providing habitat to influencing nutrient cycling. They are found all over the world, and are adapted to almost every available habitat, from warm humid forests to the Arctic tundra.

Image: Photo (c)2006 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), CC BY-SA 2.5

Once thought to be extinct, the discovery of living specimens in China in the 1940s astonished botanists. Dawn Redwoods (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) belong to a genus that dates back over 100 million years, and it is the last surviving representative of it. Although the species is classified as critically endangered in the wild, there are many specimens planted in botanical collections worldwide, and the trees are highly valued for their fast growth and stunning autumn foliage.

Image: Luis Fernando Felipe Alves

Araucaria trees, such as the iconic Monkey Puzzle tree, trace their ancestry back over 200 million years. These ancient conifers have adapted to diverse environments, from tropical rainforests to temperate regions, showcasing remarkable resilience. Although predominantly found in the Southern Hemisphere nowadays, during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, they were widespread across the globe.

Image: Aldo Hernandez

Mosses have been around for over 470 million years, making them some of the oldest plants on Earth. Like all non-vascular plants, they lack most parts we ordinarily associate with plants, like flowers, leaves, or even roots. But despite their simple structure and diminutive size, mosses are key players in ecosystems, aiding in soil retention, moisture regulation, and carbon sequestration. If you are ever lost in a mossy forest, note that they tend to thrive on the north side of trees and rocks (in the Northern Hemisphere) due to receiving less direct sunlight. In the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite holds true.

GIVE ME TWENTY, SOLDIER!

Attention! Do You Know the Military Origins of These Ten Words & Phrases?

Image: Filip Andrejevic

A country’s military tends to be a source of great pride. The brave men and women who serve in the different branches of the military are usually greeted by civilians with great respect and enthusiasm. After all, they don’t only help keep their countries safe, but they also keep alive a tradition that, in some cases, dates back several hundreds of years.

The influence of the military is so exceptional that it even has an effect on the way we talk. From items of clothing to ways of celebrating a good grade on a test, here are ten of our favorite terms derived from the military world.

Image: Antony

We’ll start with what’s probably the most surprising item on this list. We won’t blame you if you weren’t aware of the rich history of the bikini, but you might be surprised to learn how refreshingly interesting the clothes that millions of women wear for a fun day on the beach are. For starters, did you know that a French automotive engineer invented the bikini, or that it was named after a decisive military test?

In the 1940s, engineer Louis Reard took over his mother’s lingerie business and designed a two-piece swimsuit that exposed the midriff for a better tan. Reard named his design the Atome, and advertised it as "the world’s smallest swimsuit." Later on, the designer chose to rename it "the bikini", to grab some attention from the first atomic bomb test on Bikini Atoll, conducted in 1946.

Image: Megan Menegay

Fighting or working to the bitter end sounds like experiencing a difficult situation until the worst outcome (or the most bitter) occurs. This is definitively not what this idiom means: it describes having the endurance to take on a difficult experience, with the determination to see it through.

While the origins of this idiom are not entirely clear, the most accepted explanation comes from the nautical world. Its first recorded use comes from a 1627 publication called "Seaman’s Grammar", written by fabled explorer and military officer Captain John Smith. In it, Smith described the way rope is wrapped around "the bit", which is basically a post. The captain then defines "the bitter end" as the point at which there is no more rope left to be used.

Image: Raimond Klavins

We mentioned this idiom in our previous article on slang words, but it was too good to pass. While you probably don’t ask for a "cup of joe" from your local barista, they would know that it means a cup of coffee. What they might not know is that this popular idiom allegedly comes from disgruntled Army sailors.

According to this theory, the origins of the phrase "a cup of joe" references Josephus Daniels, the U.S. Secretary of the Navy during World War 1. Daniels enacted a ban on alcohol consumption on all Navy ships, which obviously infuriated many sailors at the time. Since a cup of black coffee was the strongest drink they had access to, sailors started using the sarcastic expression "a cup of Joe".

Image: Andreea Swank

You might be taken aback by a particularly shocking headline in a newspaper, an unpleasant comment heard on the sidewalk, or even the impossibly friendly demeanor of a new coworker. In any case, what’s defining about this phrase is the disconcerting surprise with which you are suddenly hit. This seems only fitting since this phrase has its origins in how suddenly a gust of wind would hit a ship at the sea.

The word "aback", which has now fallen into disuse, means to go backward. If an unexpected and particularly strong wind suddenly blew into the sails of a ship, they would be blown flat against the mast, which would make the ship be "taken aback", and suddenly stop.

Image: Gigi

Let’s step back in time, and try to picture a time in your childhood when you passed a test with flying colors. Did you also picture something resembling Superman’s cape whenever you heard this phrase? Maybe it was just us but, in any case, this idiom is one heavily associated with the joyous feeling of doing something exceptionally well.

While it might not be directly related to a superhero, this phrase does come from a colored piece of cloth fluttering in the air. In the ancient days of sailing, ships would return to port either showing or hiding their flags (known as "colors"). Raising a flag would communicate victory or success; therefore, colors "flying" in the wind would be considered very good news.

Image: Randy Laybourne

Need something onto which to blame that toast that fell jelly-side down, that car splashing you on a rainy day, or that bus that shows up at the exact same second you light a cigarette? Well, you might find solace in blaming Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Having said that, you might be wondering who the eponymous Murphy was, and why his name is associated with this now-infamous maxim.

The origins of this phrase are still disputed, but we do know that the law itself was coined by American army engineer Edward A. Murphy Jr., who was involved in high-speed rocket sled experiments during the 1940s. Murphy wrote his law after a series of mishaps with his experiments and was later popularized by a press conference of the department’s head.

Image: Berry Hafkin

An old trope in 80s buddy cop movies is one of those iconic scenes in which the police chief suspends the two protagonists and makes them submit their badges and guns. After being called a couple of "loose cannons" by their superior officers, these two cops decide to step up their game and work together to solve this crime. You might be tricked into thinking that they were called "loose cannons" over something related to their guns, but this idiom actually comes from old sea warfare.

From the 17th to the 19th century, cannons were the main weapon used by warships at sea, which were mounted on wheels and secured with rope. An unbarred (or loose) cannon moved by the sea would obviously be a danger for sailors.

Image: Ben White

Let’s say that the wonderful chit-chat you and your favorite coworker have by the water cooler happened on a Navy ship. First things first: Congratulations, you are now a sailor! But, most importantly, you might be delighted to learn that this exchanged gossip now has a wonderfully strange name: scuttlebutt.

This word is a slang term for gossip, usually spread by sailors aboard a ship. The name comes from the water fountain from which sailors drank, on which most rumors were exchanged. Originally, sailships would provide water from casks (also known as butts), on which a hole would be "scuttled" for drinking.

Image: Kirill Suntsov

Another clothing item with origins in the military world, a pea coat is a type of coat generally made from wool. While short, pea coats usually have large lapels and double-breasted fronts and are a great option for cold winter days.

This protection against the cold was the main reason why they were issued to sailors in the American navy, as well as by the navies of some European countries. American sailors referred to these coats as "p-coats", a shortening for "pilot coat."

Image: Aleksandra Sapozhnikova

Sadness is a part of being human. We have all felt blue at one point or another, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. Nonetheless, have you ever wondered why the color blue is associated with sadness? And while we can’t offer you a definitive answer, most people agree that this idiom comes from sailing ships.

This theory states that in the 1700s, whenever a ship lost its captain or an officer while at sea, the crew would fly a blue flag when returning to port. Therefore, the sadness of losing a crewmate would be intrinsically connected with this blue flag waving in the wind.