Today’s Solutions: November 12, 2024

A few weeks ago we introduced our readers to Monica Gagliano, the scientist who studies plant communication. This week, we delve deeper into the elusive lives of plants and bring you a story about resource sharing in sunflowers. Researchers at the University of Alberta have found that when sunflowers are placed alone, they extend long root systems, but when they are placed in a patch with other sunflower plants, their root systems are shallower, allowing all the plants to share the soil’s nutrients. 

Plants were once thought to exist in isolation, exempt from the interaction we witness in animals. However, more and more research is surfacing to show that plants possess unique and intricate communication systems. From sharing resources to protecting themselves from predators, these foliaged friends seem to be sharing more than just soil, but survival information as well. 

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Washington voters uphold groundbreaking climate law, a victory for climate ac...

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM On November 5, Washington voters made an important decision for the future of climate action by deciding to ...

Read More

What is intellectual humility? How intellectual humility unlocks learning and...

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In the records of Indian folklore, there is a timeless story about six blind men discovering an elephant ...

Read More

This simple psychological trick may help you chill out in this busy world

There is growing pressure to spend our free time improving ourselves or the world around us, whether it’s training for a triathlon, volunteering, or ...

Read More

A new way to prepare eggs as an antiviral

Preventative medicine is the low-cost, common-sense way of avoiding big and often expensive acute medical incidents. We don’t smoke so we don’t get cancer. ...

Read More