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Plants in the wild compete with each other for nutrients and sunlight. Kudzu is a weed that is thought to secrete compounds that inhibit the growth of other plants. Here the authors find that certain parts of kudzu plants can block the germination of clover and dandelion seeds. These experiments may lead to a weed killer that is safe and naturally derived.

Here the authors investigate the potential of the bioluminescent fungus Panellus stipticus to serve as a sustainable bioindicator for environmental lead contamination. Their findings demonstrate that higher lead concentrations cause a measurable decrease in fungal bioluminescence intensity over time suggesting that the fungus could be an effective tool for detecting lead in an environment.