Free Republic

British couple was kidnapped, murdered and fed to crocodiles while searching a nature reserve in South Africa for rare seeds, a court heard Tuesday. Horticulturist Rod Saunders, 74, and his wife, microbiologist Dr. Rachel Saunders, 63, were camping in the remote Ngoye Forest Reserve when they disappeared in February 2018, the Daily Mail reported. The couple was last heard from on Feb. 8, when they told an employee about their plans to camp in the reserve 30 miles north of Durban. Police now say that Sayefundeen Aslam Del Vecchio, his wife, Bibi Fatima Patel, and their tenant Mussa Ahmad Jackson...

An [terrorist]-linked gang who stabbed and battered a British couple to death then threw their bodies to crocodiles have been found guilty of their murder. World renowned botanists Rod Saunders, 74, and wife Rachel, 63, were ambushed in South Africa whilst out searching for rare gladioli flowers in remote mountains. The devoted couple who were married for over 30 years and lived in Cape Town met a bad end whilst setting up camp beside a forest dam in a national park. A court heard how they were viciously tortured for Rachel's gold credit card PIN number and bank account details...

Plant Evolution: Where’s the Root? April 16, 2009 — To Darwin, the origin of flowering plants was an “abominable mystery.” Recently, some entries on Science magazine’s blog Origins have claimed the mystery has been solved, at least partially, and a full solution is near at hand. Here is a great test case for evolution. Angiosperms comprise a huge, diverse population of organisms. There should be an ample fossil record, and many genes to decipher. Let’s see if the optimistic claims are rooted in evidence...

AVALON, Calif. - A species of grass not seen since 1912 has been discovered growing on Santa Catalina Island off the Southern California coast, botanists say. The plant, California dissanthelium, had long been thought extinct until a botanist recently spotted the wispy, 7-inch-tall tufts while hiking in Cottonwood Canyon. "I saw a little grass, and I thought, 'Hmm, that doesn't look familiar,'" said Jenny McCune, an assistant plant ecologist for the Catalina Island Conservancy. McCune found the grass on March 30 in an area of the canyon hit by fire two years ago. Scientists confirmed the plant's identity last month....