The sandbox tree does not look dangerous at first glance, but it has earned a frightening reputation for a reason. Native to tropical regions of Central and South America, this towering tree is often ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. This rainforest tree solved one of evolution’s hardest ...

In tropical forests across Central and South America, a quiet tree hides one of the most violent forms of seed dispersal found in nature. Known to scientists as Hura crepitans and to locals as the ...

When temperatures plunge and the air goes painfully still, people in northern forests sometimes hear a sharp crack that sounds like a gunshot. That eerie noise has fueled a viral claim that trees ...

Chicago residents are weathering a dangerous cold snap this week — but so are the trees. After a post on X warning of “exploding trees” went viral on social media ahead of this week’s polar vortex, ...