According to Drive.com.au, two new flower species have been developed by Toyota with the aim of reducing harmful emissions at its Toyota City, Japan factory where it assembles the popular Prius hybrid. Derived from the cherry sage, one of the new species absorbs harmful nitrogen oxides from the air. The other, based on the gardenia, releases water vapor into the air that lowers the surface temperature around the assembly plant, reducing the facility’s cooling needs. These exciting new plants were developed as part of an ongoing program to reduce the environmental impact of Prius production that has already seen emissions at the plant cut by 55%. They will join other green technologies already in place at the factory such as solar power, photocatalytic paint that removes harmful gasses from the air, and especially slow growing grass that only has to be cut once a year as Toyota strives to make the Prius one of the most environmentally friendly cars on the market.

Car maker develops its own flower species [via Gizmodo]

A string of black panther sightings that started in Meurthe-et-Moselle region of northeast France in August have continued with a new sighting being reported in Bascharage, Luxembourg. This sighting follows a similar instance a few weeks ago in the Ardennes region of Belgium. Despite an intense search of the area by both ground and air units, the animal was not found.

While black panther does not describe any particular species of cat and any black big cat is technically a black panther, modern science only accepts two species as being able to produce black panthers. These are the African leopard and the South American jaguar, neither of which (at least in modern times) are native to the region. Repeated sightings across Europe have led many to believe that there is an as of yet undiscovered species of big cat living in the region that is producing black panthers. An alternative theory for the numerous big cat sightings in Europe blame the sightings on escaped animals from circuses, zoos and private collections. This seems quite plausible as black leopards have been bred for centuries in captivity. At least in this case, no large black cats have been reported missing in the region, leaving the creatures origin a mystery.

Black panther spotted in factory area [via Phantoms and Monsters]