Unveiling Nature s Silent Whispers: Scientists Are Deciphering the Secret Language of Flowers scitechdaily.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from scitechdaily.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
As sessile organisms, plants have to continually adapt their growth and architecture to the ever-changing environment. To do so, plants have evolved distinct molecular mechanisms to sense and respond to the environment and integrate the signals from outside with endogenous developmental programs.
Wildfires are devastating, but they can also bring new life by clearing existing vegetation and allowing new plants to spring up. Many plants in fire-prone areas actually require exposure to fire for seeds to germinate. In the past decade, scientists have discovered an ancient receptor protein that can detect molecules called karrikins in smoke from burnt plant material. The “smoke detector” protein, called KAI2, initiates molecular signals that speed up germination of seeds.
A UC Davis record 19 assistant professors received National Science Foundation CAREER awards in the 2020-21 funding cycle. The five-year grants are especially noteworthy for supporting early-career faculty not only in their research but also in their development as outstanding educators.