The tonka bean tree, scientifically known as Dipteryx oleifera, has developed the ability to not only survive strikes but ...

For one tropical tree species in the forests of Panama, getting struck by lightning every once in a while is […] ...

Lightning strikes may kill hundreds of millions of trees every year, but one tropical tree has evolved to benefit from the ...

A Dipteryx oleifera tree just after being struck by lightning in 2019 ( top) versus two years later ( bottom ). The tree ...

Over one-third of the compounds were terpenoids, chemicals that plants use to ward off threats like insects and pathogens. Terpenoids are already known for their medicinal uses. Some can fight cancer, ...

Though being struck by lightning is usually bad, the tropical tree Dipteryx oleifera benefits. A strike kills other nearby trees and parasitic vines.

Before a discovery in a Panamanian rainforest, “it seemed impossible that lightning could be a good thing for the trees,” a ...