Big Picture Science - Flower Power
Before everything could
come up roses, there had to be a primordial flower – the mother, and father, of
all flowers. Now scientists are on the hunt for it. The eFlower project aims to
explain the sudden appearance of flowering plants in the fossil record, what
Darwin called an “abominable mystery.”
Meanwhile, ancient
flowers encased in amber or preserved in tar are providing clues about how
ecosystems might respond to changing climates. And, although it was honed by
evolution for billions of years, can we make photosynthesis more efficient and
help forestall a global food crisis?
Guests:
- Eva-Maria Sadowski - Post doctoral paleobotanist at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin
- Regan Dunn - Paleobotanist and assistant Curator at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
- Royal Krieger - Rosarian and volunteer at the Morcom Rose Garden, Oakland, California
- Ruby Stephens - Plant ecology PhD candidate at Macquarie University in Australia, and member of the eFlower Project
- Stephen Long - Professor of Plant Science, University of Illinois
Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/flower-power
You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.
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