Usnea Lichens
Have you ever looked at orange patches on trees or yellow patches on rocks without knowing quite what you were seeing? Would you believe a mutant worthy of a B-grade science fiction movie? Or a practical housekeeping material? A life-saving medicine, a scientific tool, or food? Museum Research Scientist Irwin Brodo explains the unusual and useful characteristics of lichens of the genus Usnea.

Arctic Lupine, Lupinus arcticus
Science doesn't stand still. A recent example of this is the discovery (from new tests) of the true age of seeds that were once thought to be 10 000 years old. Palaeobiologist Dick Harington had the privilege of revising his conclusions after more than 40 years.

Purple Saxifrage, Saxifraga oppositifolia
One of Nature's botanists, Susan Aiken, has selected this plant as one of our amazing treasures because it is one of only four flowering plants that grow on the northernmost land on Earth. It is well known to people of the Arctic as the first flower of spring.