'Smart' flower bulbs pull themselves to deeper ground

User rating: 4.6 / 5 after 17 vote(s)

Mature mother bulb before and after root development. Note a bulblet formed on a scale of the middle bulb. On the right is a single bulblet with a contractile root. Credit: A. Carl Leopold
Mature mother bulb before and after root development. Note a bulblet formed on a scale of the middle bulb. On the right is a single bulblet with a contractile root. Credit: A. Carl Leopold

Confused about the right planting depth for flower bulbs? Trust the bulbs! Researchers have discovered that some flower bulbs are actually "smart" enough to adjust themselves to the right planting depth. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science proved that bulbs can adjust their planting position by moving deeper into the ground, apparently in search of moister, more conducive growing conditions.


Full story »
All News summaries from General Science news
All News summaries for December 03, 2007

Study: No gender differences in math performance

11 minutes ago | User rating: not rated yet
We've all heard it. Many of us in fact believe it. Girls just aren't as good at math as boys. But is it true? After sifting through mountains of data - including SAT results and math scores from 7 million students who were ...

Plant steroids offer new paradigm for how hormones work

13 minutes ago | User rating: not rated yet
Steroids bulk up plants just as they do human athletes, but the playbook of molecular signals that tell the genes to boost growth and development in plant cells is far more complicated than in human and animal cells. A new ...

Prevailing theory of aging challenged in Stanford worm study

42 minutes ago | User rating: not rated yet
Age may not be rust after all. Specific genetic instructions drive aging in worms, report researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Their discovery contradicts the prevailing theory that aging is a buildup ...

UC Santa Barbara chemist goes nano with CoQ10

1 hour ago | User rating: not rated yet
If Bruce Lipshutz has his way, you may soon be buying bottles of water brimming with the life-sustaining coenzyme CoQ10 at your local Costco.

Region hit hard by 1993 floods showed economic resiliency, study indicates

1 hour ago | User rating: not rated yet
With the first wave of clean-up efforts behind them, residents of communities affected by this year's Midwest floods may find hope in a University of Illinois study on the economic impact of the 1993 flood that devastated ...
Goto Archive PhysOrg Forum Goto Archive Video Goto Archive Editorials Goto Archive Free Magazines Goto Archive Newsletter

News Archive