Imma Perfetto
Cosmos science journalist
We have much thank plants for – the air we breathe, the food we eat, the materials they provide – and we’re learning more and more about them every day! These are 5 of our favourite plant stories of the year.
Why do flowers wilt?
Researchers have finally figured out why flowers shrivel up after pollination, showing that it enables a plant to salvage some of the resources it put into petals to reuse at another time.
How plants have prickles
Scientists have found that the same group of genes is responsible for thorns – technically termed prickles – in very different varieties of plants.
Which nettle sting remedy works best?
A group of emergency department doctors in Scotland took it upon themselves to test different remedies to nettle stings on each other and found that lettuce works just as well as the age-old dock leaf for treating stings.
New insight into how plants breathe
Plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen through stomata on the surface of their leaves. Researchers have now discovered the molecular mechanism inside plant cells that regulates their rhythmic opening and closing throughout the day.
Why are blueberries blue?
The blue of blueberries can’t be extracted by squishing them, instead researchers have found that tiny structures in their wax coating give them their distinctive colour.
