Today’s Solutions: December 26, 2024

There are many benefits to living on a sheer cliff face, if you’re a very rare Hawaiian plant. Hungry goats can’t get to you. Neither can oblivious people, who are known to crush priceless plants underfoot. Nor can botanists, even though they just want to save the plants. That’s how Hibiscadelphus woodii, a relative of the hibiscus flower, wound up on the extinct species list in just shy of two decades after it was first discovered by botanist Ken Wood in 1991, in the Kalalau Valley on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The last known sighting of H. woodii was in 2009. Efforts to grow new H. woodii plants in greenhouses failed over and over; neither grafting, tip cuttings, nor attempts at cross pollination could resurrect it. The hundreds of thousands of years-worth of evolution that created its unique features—such as its tube-shaped bell, which turns from yellow to maroon as it ages, and is formed to perfectly fit the beak of its pollinator, a native species of honeycreeper bird—seemed lost forever. But on a sunny day in February 2019, a drone specialist suddenly spotted the supposedly extinct flower hiding on a steep, green cliffside, prompting celebrations amongst botanists throughout the island. If you’re curious to see footage of the drone finding this special Hawaiian flower, look no further.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

MIT engineers convert soda cans and seawater into zero-emission fuel

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a breakthrough for sustainable energy, MIT engineers developed a way to produce hydrogen fuel from ordinary elements ...

Read More

Research reveals that ADHD may have given us an evolutionary edge

In an unexpected twist, features formerly associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are now being studied via an evolutionary lens. A new study ...

Read More

The science behind the top 2 personality traits people look for in romantic p...

In a world dominated by superficial characteristics, a recent study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior offers a novel viewpoint on love preferences. ...

Read More

Microwave magic redefines lithium recovery in batteries

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM As the need for rechargeable technology—from smartphones to electric vehicles—increases, so does the demand for lithium. This rare ...

Read More