![](images/icon.png)
April Showers Bring... The Science of Spring
![Corn](images/corn.jpg)
What's good for crops is not always good for the environment
Nitrogen, a key nutrient for plants, can cause problems when it leaches into water supplies.
![Flower](images/block01.jpg)
What gives flowers their eye-catching hues?
To solve the mystery of why roses are red and violets are blue, scientists are peering into the genes of plant petals.
![Tornado](images/brook.jpg)
Studying nature's rhythms: Soundscape scientists spawn new field
"Earth sound": the composition made by wind, rain, thunder, crashing waves, bubbling brooks.
![Flower](images/flowers_field.jpg)
Sunflowers turn from east to west, and back, by the clock
Scientists discover how sunflowers use internal circadian, or "clock," timing to follow the sun.
![Tornado](images/tornado.jpg)
Researchers boldly go into the heart of a spring tornado
May 1 through June 15: That's the time of year when tornadoes are most common.
![Tornado](images/frog_nyc1_h.jpg)
New frog hiding in plain sight
In the wilds of New York City--or as wild as you can get that close to skyscrapers--scientists found a new frog species.
Roses are red; violets are...well, violet - but why?
In nature, flowers grow in hues that span the rainbow. As this video shows, the colors come from the plants' biochemistry.