Just as an astronomer gazing at a star-studded sky feels certain that life must exist on at least one of those billions of heavenly bodies, a botanist roving a tropical rainforest is sure at least one plant in the profusion of green holds a promising new drug. The odds overwhelmingly support the presumption. One in four prescriptions dispensed from drugstores in the United States contains substances derived from angiosperms, or flowering plants. About one-third of those plants are native to tropical forests. Since less than 1% of tropical forest plants has been thoroughly researched for useful properties, any bookie would wager that new drugs would be found if 2% were tested. That promise certainly applies to Latin America, home to a breathtaking array... [Log in to read more]