Why do “April showers bring May flowers?” How does the Christmas cactus know to blossom each December?
Another team of FIBR scientists is also looking at Arabidopsis, but at the cellular level. Led by a University of California researcher, this group is mapping changes to each individual cell in a plant’s meristem—its growth center—as it forms a new leaf or flower. By merging the latest and greatest in biotechnology, mathematical modeling and computer visualization, the team will create a plant in silico, or virtual plant, to model real data collected using fluorescent proteins marking specific cells in bioengineered plants. The virtual plant will allow researchers to track cell-by-cell changes during plant growth and development as well as predict altered growth patterns in various environmental conditions. “Earth laughs in flowers….
