Monday, 19 December 2011

Biomimetic robotic Venus flytrap



Abstract
The work described in this paper is a novel design of a robotic Venus flytrap (VFT) (Dionaea
muscipula Ellis) by means of ionic polymeric metal composite (IPMC) artificial muscles as
distributed nanosensors and nanoactuators. Rapid muscular movements in carnivorous plants,
such as VFT, which are triggered by antenna-like sensors (trigger hair), present a golden key to
study distributed biomolecular motors. Carnivorous plants, such as VFT, possess built-in
intelligence (trigger hairs), as a strategy to capture prey, that can be turned on in a controlled
manner. In the case of the VFT, the prey that is lured by the sweet nectar in the VFT pair of
jaw-like lobes has to flip and move the trigger hairs, which are colorless, bristle-like and
pointed. The dynamically moved trigger hairs then electro-elastically send an electric signal to
the internal ions in the lobe to migrate outwardly for the jaw-like lobes to close rapidly to
capture the prey. The manner in which the VFT lobes bend inward to capture the prey shows a
remarkable similarity with typical IPMCs bending in an electric field. Furthermore, the
mechano-electrical sensing characteristics of IPMCs also show a remarkable resemblance to
mechano-electrical trigger hairs on the lobes of the VFT. The reader is referred to a number of
papers in connection with sensing and actuation of IPMCs in particular. Thus, one can
integrate IPMC lobes with a common electrode in the middle of one end of the lobes to act like
a spine and use IPMC bristles as trigger finger to sense the intrusion of a fly or insect to send a
sensing signal to a solid state relay which then triggers the actuation circuit of the IPMC lobes
to rapidly bend toward each other and close. The two lobes, which form the trap, are attached
to the midrib common electrode which is conveniently termed the spine. The upper surface of
each lobe is dished, and spaced along the free margins of the lobes with some 15–20
prong-like teeth . These are tough and pointed, and are inclined at an inward angle so that
when the trap is sprung shut they will interlock. We have been experimenting with the VFT
closing of its jaw-like lobes that close in about 0.3 s and have gained a lot of knowledge to
report on the ionic and electrical mechanisms involved in the operation of such intelligent
distributed biomolecular motors.

http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-3190/6/4/046004/pdf/1748-3190_6_4_046004.pdf

Tuesday, 13 December 2011

More about Venus flytrap!

Energetics and forces of the Dionaea muscipula trap closing
Alexander G. Volkov and coworkers


Abstract

The Venus flytrap is the most famous carnivorous plant. The electrical stimulus between a midrib and a lobe closes the Venus flytrap upper leaf in 0.3 s without mechanical stimulation of trigger hairs. Here we present results for direct measurements of the closing force of the trap of Dionaea muscipula Ellis after mechanical or electrical stimulation of the trap using the piezoelectric thin film or Fuji Prescale indicating sensor film. The closing force was 0.14 N and the corresponding pressure between rims of two lobes was 38 kPa. We evaluated theoretically using the Hydroelastic Curvature Model and compared with experimental data velocity, acceleration and kinetic energy from the time dependencies of distance between rims of lobes during the trap closing. The Charge Stimulation Method was used for trap electrostimulation between the midrib and lobes. From the dependence of voltage between two Ag/AgCl electrodes in the midrib and one of the lobes, we estimated electrical charge, current, resistance, electrical energy and electrical power dependencies on time during electrostimulation of the trap.

Journal of Plant Physiology
Volume 169, Issue 1, 1 January 2012, Pages 55-64 

Complete hunting cycle of Dionaea muscipula: Consecutive steps and their electrical properties
Alexander G. Volkov and coworkers

Abstract
In the present paper a model is presented for the dynamic response of a family (Droseraceae) of carnivorous plants such as the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea Muscipula Ellis) and the Waterwheel Plant (Aldrovanda Vesiculosa) to external dynamic disturbances. The goal of the present investigation is to apply such modelling to the molecular design of biomimetic materials with sensors and actuators. In modelling the dynamic response of such plants (or their flowers, to be exact) to external disturbances it is worth noting that these plants are capable of trapping and capturing their prey, usually small insects and flies, by the stimulation of a number of built-in trigger hairs or whisker-type sensors, which may be electro-elastic. The trapping and capturing action is quite muscular in the sense that, for example in the case of the Venus Flytrap, the flower, which is in the form of twin-lobed leaf blades closes quite quickly, upon stimulation of its trigger hairs, to trap the prey. These petals or valves are normally held ajar like an open spring trap. A victim entering the compass of the valves trips a trigger mechanism, whereupon the valves snap together with often surprising speed like a pair of jaws, and the victim is securely held within. The Venus Flytrap and Waterwheel Plant are closely related, though the former is terrestrial while the latter is aquatic. They belong to the same family as the Sundews (Droseraceae). The purpose of the present paper is to present a model for such intelligent structures with built-in sensors and muscular actuators in the hope of being able to fabricate similar intelligent materials (biomimetics) and intelligent structures for practical applications. Another remarkable property of the Venus Flytrap is that it is indeed possible to spring the trap without touching the trigger hairs — by repeated rubbing or scratching of the surface of the lobes for example — but the insect always does so by touching one or more trigger hairs. Based on a number of experimental observations in our laboratory we present a model for sensing and actuation of the Venus Flytrap. Our model is based on redistribution of ions and in particular Ca2+ and H+ ions in the tissue volumes. Generation of action potential simulation of trigger whiskers creates an ionic membrane type depolarization wave that propagates throughout the flower tissues.

Journal of Plant Physiology
Volume 168, Issue 2, 15 January 2011, Pages 109-120 

Monday, 12 December 2011

A novel form of myrmecotrophic mutualism

Setting the trap: cleaning behaviour of Camponotus schmitzi ants increases long-term capture efficiency of their pitcher plant host, Nepenthes bicalcarata



There are more than 600 species of plants worldwide known to capture small animals to obtain extra nutrition. One species in the tropical peat swamp forests of Borneo, the fanged pitcher plant, Nepenthes bicalcarata, not only traps insects, but also provides a home for the highly specialised species of carpenter ant, Camponotus schmitzi.
The plant's leaves are specially modified as cup-shaped insect traps. These pitchers produce sweet nectar to lure insects; slippery surfaces on the upper rim of the pitcher cause them to slide and fall into the pitchers where they are held and digested by the fluid within. Amazingly, the resident Camponotus schmitzi ants appear to be completely immune to the traps; they nest inside hollow stems of the plant, feed on the traps' nectar without falling and "steal" prey from the pitchers by swimming and diving in the digestive fluid.
Many "ant-plants" have evolved close relationships with ants, which can provide protection from leaf-feeding insects and fungal attack, in return for nesting space and food rewards. The fanged pitcher plant is the only known insect-eating ant-plant. Despite a number of studies since its discovery in the late 19th century, it has been unclear what, if anything, the plant gains from the association.
We discovered that the Camponotus schmitzi ants thoroughly clean the slippery trapping surface of their host plant. Even when strongly contaminated by cornflour, the ants' cleaning restored the slipperiness of the trap within a few days. By cleaning the slippery trap, the ants ensure it is maintained in good condition and can continue to capture insects for much longer than if the ants are absent. Indeed, the pitchers of Nepenthes bicalcarata can live and remain active three times longer than pitchers from other Nepenthes species in the area. So, by maintaining the traps of the plant, the ants do more than just clean: they help the plant to be well-fed.

Source:  http://www.functionalecology.org

Wednesday, 23 November 2011

Mars for dummies!

Video from NASA JPL:

How do we get to Mars?
  


Is Mars really red?

Thursday, 17 November 2011

Seed dispersal and Space exploration! (ITA)

"Come i denti di leone ci insegnano a volare"


La disseminazione é quel processo o insieme di processi che determinano l’allontanamento dei frutti o dei semi dalla pianta madre e determina la potenziale distribuzione territoriale delle nuove piante nell’ambiente. Senza disseminazione molte specie si estinguerebbero rapidamente. Le piante sono per lo più prive di mobilità e rimangono nello stesso posto per tutta la vita, basandosi sulla dispersione dei semi per trovare condizioni di vita favorevoli.
Ci sono vari motivi per cui la dispersione dei semi è parte integrante della sopravvivenza di una specie vegetale. Ridurre la concorrenza e colonizzare zone favorevoli sono solo due esempi: piante che crescono in aree sovraffollate dovranno competere per le risorse, e i semi caduti più lontani avranno più possibilità di successo.
Le piante hanno evoluto sistemi per sfruttare animali, vento e acqua, per muoversi, o in altri casi sono le piante stesse che lanciano i propri semi lontano. Esse hanno evoluto strutture specifiche e strategie vincenti per massimizzare l’utilizzo delle risorse ambientali. Alcuni semi hanno ali per planare; i denti di leone sono dotati di un piccolo ombrello e lo usano come paracadute; i semi di acero volano come leggeri "elicotteri". Ma il vento non è l'unico metodo, i semi possono chiedere passaggi ad animali, e percorrere con loro molte miglia, o navigare per fiumi e oceani con le correnti. I semi possono essere lanciati dalle piante madri con quella che prende il nome di “dispersione balistica”: un esempio notevole è l'albero dinamite (Hura crepitans L.), che può scagliare i propri semi a 100 metri di distanza grazie alle tensioni elastiche che si sviluppano nel frutto durante la maturazione.
Tutte queste strategie, testate e sviluppate nel lungo corso evolutivo, sono una pura meraviglia e le piante sono gli ingegneri esperti che le hanno progettate.
Uno dei primi successi biomimetici ispirati ai meccanismi di dispersione dei semi è il velcro, progettato emulando i piccoli ganci dei semi di Arctium spp.
La natura fornisce un database meraviglioso da cui prendere in prestito idee, concetti e disegni e la biomimetica nasce proprio con lo scopo di trovare soluzioni ai problemi ingegneristici grazie al trasferimento tecnologico di soluzioni semplici provenienti dal mondo biologico. L’elevata affidabilità che caratterizza queste soluzioni biologiche sta nel fatto di essere il risultato della lunga evoluzione della vita sulla terra, e la crescente attenzione che questa nuova disciplina sta avendo a livello europeo, risiede nella produttiva combinazione di competenze ingegneristiche e biologiche, che insieme contribuiscono allo sviluppo di applicazioni, dall’alta tecnologia alla vita quotidiana.
L’Advanced Concepts Team dell’Agenzia Spaziale Europea  (ESA) (http://www.esa.int/gsp/ACT/index.htm) sta, tra le altre cose, studiando i meccanismi di dispersione dei semi per estrarre nuove idee e concetti utili ai fini dell’esplorazione spaziale: metodi di locomozione derivanti dai cespugli rotolanti del deserto, trivelle ispirate dai semi che si auto-sotterrano e piccoli paracaduti presi in prestito dai denti di leone. Se le piante sono riuscite a colonizzare ogni angolo della Terra con i propri semi, perché noi non possiamo provare a prendere qualche spunto da loro per l’esplorazione del sistema solare?

http://www.georgofili.info/detail.aspx?id=643
http://www.esa.int/gsp/ACT/bio/index.htm

Friday, 11 November 2011

Damping by branching: a bioinspiration from trees

Bioinsp. Biomim. 6 (2011) 046010 (11pp) Download the pdf here



Abstract
Man-made slender structures are known to be sensitive to high levels of vibration due to their
flexibility which often cause irreversible damage. In nature, trees repeatedly endure large
amplitudes of motion, mostly caused by strong climatic events, yet with minor or no damage
in most cases. A new damping mechanism inspired by the architecture of trees is identified
here and characterized in the simplest tree-like structure, a Y-shaped branched structure.
Through analytical and numerical analyses of a simple two-degree-of-freedom model,
branching is shown to be the key ingredient in this protective mechanism that we call
damping-by-branching. It originates in the geometrical nonlinearities so that it is specifically
efficient to damp out large amplitudes of motion. A more realistic model, using flexible beam
approximation, shows that the mechanism is robust. Finally, two bioinspired architectures are
analyzed, showing significant levels of damping achieved via branching with typically 30% of
the energy being dissipated in one oscillation. This concept of damping-by-branching is of
simple practical use in the design of very slender and flexible structures subjected to extreme
dynamical loadings.

A naturally occurring nanomaterial from the Sundew (Drosera) for tissue engineering

Bioinsp. Biomim. 6 (2011) 046009 (8pp) Download the pdf here



Abstract
In recent years advances have been made in the design of novel materials for tissue
engineering through the use of polysaccharides. This study evaluated the ability of a naturally
secreted polysaccharide adhesive from the Sundew (Drosera capensis) as a support for cell
growth. The Sundew adhesive has several advantages including its high elasticity and
antibiotic nature. By coating glass cover slips with the Sundew adhesive, a network of
nanofibers was generated that was capable of promoting attachment and differentiation of a
model neuronal cell line, PC-12. We also demonstrated the potential of this material for
repairing bone and soft tissue injuries, by testing attachment of osteoblasts and endothelial
cells. Finally, it was determined that the Sundew biomaterial was stable through testing by
atomic force microscopy and prolonged cell growth. This work has proven the capabilities of
using a nanomaterial derived from the Sundew adhesive for the purpose of tissue engineering.

Thursday, 3 November 2011

Resurrection plants

from How Plants Work.com :

One of the main problems for plants when they colonized terrestrial environments on Earth nearly a half billion years ago was how to survive the dryness.

Resurrection plants, however, display the remarkable ability to survive near total desiccation (less than 5% relative water content), which causes them to appear dead. But when rehydrated, these plants can be revived. Hence, they are often referred to as “resurrection plants”.

Probably the most well-known is the species Selaginella lepidophylla




Briefly, the onset of water loss apparently sets into motion a series of cellular events that can be summarized as follows:

Dehydration –> Activation of “desiccation-related” genes –> (1) Alterations in metabolism and (2) Production of “protective” proteins

(1) Alterations in metabolism: (a) accumulation of protective solutes such as sucrose, trehalose, and proline that stabilize proteins and cellular membranes, (b) production of antioxidant compounds (such as galloylquinic acids), and (c) biochemical alterations in membrane and cell wall composition.

(2) Production of “protective” proteins such as “dehydrins” and “expansins” that help preserve the structural integrity of intracellular organelles and the cell walls.

References
1. Moore, J.P., et al. (2006) “Response of the Leaf Cell Wall to Desiccation in the Resurrection Plant Myrothamnus flabellifolius.” Plant Physiology Vol. 141, pp. 651–662.
2. Layton, B.E., et al. (2010) “Dehydration-induced expression of a 31-kDa dehydrin in Polypodium polypodioides (Polypodiaceae) may enable large, reversible deformation of cell walls.” American Journal of Botany Vol. 97, pp. 535-544.
3. Moore, J.P., et al. (2009) “Towards a systems-based understanding of plant desiccation tolerance.” Trends in Plant Science Vol. 14, pp. 110-117.

And this amazing plants are at the basis of a long-term thermostabilization process to preserve vaccines,
here some more details:
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1281/
http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/2/19/19ra12.abstract
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-322568/Vaccine-breakthrough-revolutionise-Third-World-health.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17661683

Wednesday, 2 November 2011

L'utopia tranquilla delle piante - The calm utopia of plants

sorry, in Italian only from the

Festival della Scienza di Genova

October 28, 2011

Stefano Mancuso

"Le piante hanno comportamenti sofisticati ed evoluti, una vita sociale meravigliosamente ricca e, in generale, una affascinante complessità che per millenni è rimasta sepolta sotto la loro apparente immobilità.
Mitezza contro violenza, fissità contro movimento, autotrofia contro eterotrofia, lentezza contro velocità: piante e animali sono il risultato di scelte evolutive opposte. Praticamente inermi, alla base della catena alimentare, eppure capaci di colonizzare la Terra fino a rappresentarne il 98% della biomassa, nella vita delle piante esiste un’idea utopistica e rivoluzionaria, che ne rende avvincente e imprevedibile il loro studio. Unici organismi viventi realmente "verdi" (in tutti i sensi), hanno evoluto strategie di comportamento così diverse da quelle degli animali da essere per noi una fonte inesauribile di originalissimi insegnamenti. Senza l’aggressività e prepotenza degli animali, senza la pressante necessità di uccidere per sopravvivere, le piante sono la realizzazione terrena del discorso della montagna: sono loro i miti che un giorno erediteranno la terra."

Watch the video here:
http://www.festivalscienzalive.it/site/home/conferenze/utopia-tranquilla-delle-piante.html

Intelligenza di sciame e robotica - Swarm intelligence and robotics

sorry, in Italian only from the

Festival della Scienza di Genova

October 28, 2011

Marco Dorigo


La swarm intelligence è la disciplina che studia sistemi naturali e artificiali composti da un gran numero di agenti che coordinano le loro attività in modo distribuito e utilizzando esclusivamente informazione locale.
Protagonista dell’incontro è la swarm robotics , disciplina che si occupa del design, della costruzione e del controllo di sistemi robotici che seguono i principi della swarm intelligence. In particolare, il pubblico è qui accompagnato alla scoperta di due importanti progetti europei: Swarm-bots e Swarmanoid.
In Swarm-bots, i robot considerati sono macchine autonome, chiamate s-bot, che si muovono sul terreno e che possono attaccarsi l'uno all'altro per mezzo di una pinza. In questo modo gli s-bot possono aggregarsi in un robot fisicamente più capace e riescono ora a eseguire compiti che vanno al di la delle capacità originariamente pensate per i singoli.
Il progetto Swarmanoid prevede invece che le idee sviluppate in Swarm-bots siano estese al caso di sistemi di robot autonomi eterogenei. Ovvero di automi che possono in questo modo agire nelle tre dimensioni.
(Interessanti filmati di robot Filmati di robot in azione e voci esperte vi accompagnano alla scoperta dell’affascinante mondo dei robot e della swarm intelligence)

watch the video here

 http://www.festivalscienzalive.it/site/home/conferenze/conferenza-intelligenza-di-sciame-robotica.html

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

Slime mould designs Tokyo rail network

It is a quite old paper, but I find it nice! 


"Physarum polycephalum, consists of a membrane-bound bag of protoplasm and, unusually, multiple nuclei. It can be found migrating across the floor of dark, damp, northern-temperate woodlands in search of food such as bacteria. It can grow into networks with a diameter of 25cm."

"As it explores the forest floor, it must constantly trade off the cost, efficiency and resilience of its expanding network"

"They found that many of the links the slime mould made bore a striking resemblance to Tokyo’s existing rail network. For P. polycephalum had not simply created the shortest possible network that could connect all the cities, but had also included redundant connections that allow the creature (and the real rail network) to have resilience to the accidental breakage of any part of it. P. polycephalum’s network, in other words, had similar costs, efficiencies and resiliencies to the human version."




To read the full story : The Economist
or directly on Science 22 January 2010:
Vol. 327 no. 5964 pp. 439-442
DOI: 10.1126/science.1177894

Sunday, 23 October 2011

Smart Solutions From The Plant Kingdom: beyond the animal models (II)

Smart Solutions From The Plant Kingdom: beyond the animal models

This is the title of the exciting workshop organized by Stefano Mancuso together with Barbara Mazzolai, from the Centre for Micro-BioRobotics of IIT@SSSA.

The workshop will be held on October 24, 2011 at Accademia dei Georgofili in Florence (Italy) with the aims of: providing an authoritative overview of solutions inspired by plants; stimulating a fruitful and attractive discussion on this emerging scientific area; creating an occasion in which scientists and engineers can offer  different perspectives and viewpoints in developing a new class of  biomimetic solutions, which exhibit different performance in terms of materials, fabrication  technologies, sensors, actuators, computing solutions, etc.; outlining the current opportunities and challenges of biomimetics approach.

The objectives of the workshop are to share and discuss in a broad  community the current state of the art concerning the researches in the  research areas that look at plants for as inspiration source, to analyze the  potentiality of field and how it can impact in future technologies in  general, as well as to encourage collaborations and inspire the exploration of novel research lines or projects.

Biomimetics is attracting the interest of a growing number of scientists and researchers worldwide. The Plant Kingdom represents an amazing source of inspiration for designing and developing smart solutions in different fields. Mimicking plants requires deep investigation of new materials, mechanisms, sensors, actuators, and control schemes and can lead to breakthrough advances of technologies. In this workshop, we wish to contribute to the discussion on the development of biomimetic solutions inspired by plants. In particular, this workshop will look at the importance of integrating knowledge coming from different fields, as biology, engineering, chemistry, computer science, and physics to conceive and develop advanced systems.

Programme:

9.00 - 9.10 Welcome - Franco Scaramuzzi, President of the Accademia dei Georgofili

9.10 - 9.20 Welcome - Barbara Mazzolai, Centre for Micro-BioRobotics@SSSA, Pontedera, Italy.
Stefano Mancuso Dpt. Plant, Soil & Environment, University of Florence, Italy

9.20 - 9.50 Barbara Mazzolai - Centre for Micro-BioRobotics of IIT@SSSA, Pontedera, Italy
Robotics and ICT technologies inspired by plants

9.50 - 10.20 Stefano Mancuso - Dpt. Plant, Soil & Environment University of Florence, Italy
Communication in plant root

10.20 - 10.50 COFFEE BREAK

10.50 - 11.35 George Jeronimidis - Centre for Biomimetics, University of Reading (UK)
Fibre hierarchies in plants: the key to smart solutions

11.35 - 12.20 Robin Seidel - Plant Biomechanics Group University Freiburg, Germany
Innovative biomimetic materials inspired by plants

12.20 - 13.05 Michaela Eder - Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Germany
Design principles of plant actuation

13.05 - 14.30 LUNCH BREAK

14.30 - 15.15 Frantisek Baluska - Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany, University of Bonn, Germany
Growing roots and their searching behavior

15.15 - 16.00 Guido Caldarelli - Institute for Complex Systems, National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy
Quantifying the taxonomic diversity in real species communities

16.00 - 16.30 COFFEE BREAK

16.30 - 17.15 Paco Calvo - Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
Adaptive behavior and direct perception: ecological lessons from plant neurobiology

17.15 - 18.00 Camilla Pandolfi - European Space Agency, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
Seeds, dispersal and biomimicry

18.00 - 18.15 Conclusions

Tuesday, 4 October 2011

"Back to the past for pollination biology"

Manipulations of the interactions between plants and their floral visitors remain the most successful path to an understanding of floral traits, which may have been shaped by both herbivores and pollinators. By using genetic tools in combination with old-fashioned field work the dual protective/advertisement functions of floral traits are being realized. The distinction between wanted and unwanted floral visitors is blurring, and plants with specialized pollination systems are being found capable of using alternative pollinators if the specialized pollinators fail to perform.



Back to the past for pollination biology
Danny Kessler, Ian T Baldwin,
Current Opinion in Plant Biology
Volume 14, Issue 4, August 2011, Pages 429-434
Biotic interactions 

Thursday, 22 September 2011

Dutch PlantLab Revolutionizes Farming




Soilless coltivation, LEDs, highly controlled environmental conditions, advanced sensors...they call it agricolture 3.0!  In short, they create a high tech paradise for plants...
Will the quality decrease? who knows, but the possibility to grow plants undergroung or at the top of skyscrapers is fascinating! Urban agriculture isn’t new, and people have been talking about vertical farms for decades.What makes PlantLab different is the hardcore scientific and mathematical innovation they are bringing to the table! Could we grow vegetables in space using this amazing facility?!









http://www.plantlab.nl/4.0/

Bioinspired self-repairing slippery surfaces with pressure-stable omniphobicity

A slippery surface bio-inspired by pitcher plants.... actually I was starting the same study... too late!
really a nice work!



http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v477/n7365/full/nature10447.html


Nature, vol: 477, pp: 443–447
Date published: 22 September 2011 DOI: doi:10.1038/nature10447

Monday, 12 September 2011

Plant nanotoxicology: how nanoparticles can affect plant's (and human) healt

Published this month on Trends in Plant Science, here is the abstract of the paper:

"The anthropogenic release of nanoparticles (NPs) to the environment poses a potential hazard to human health and life. The interplay between NPs and biological processes is receiving increasing attention. Plants expose huge interfaces to the air and soil environment. Thus, NPs are adsorbed to the plant surfaces, taken up through nano- or micrometer-scale openings of plants and are translocated within the plant body. Persistent NPs associated with plants enter the human food chain. In this Opinion, we document the occurrence and character of NPs in the environment and evaluate the need for future research on toxicological effects. Plant nanotoxicology is introduced as a discipline that explores the effects and toxicity mechanisms of NPs in plants, including transport, surface interactions and material-specific responses."



Plant nanotoxicology
Dietz, Karl-Josef; Herth, Simone
Trends in plant science doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2011.08.003 

Marijuana Genome Sequenced For Health

"The company hopes the data will help scientists breed pot plants without much THC, the mind-altering chemical in the plant. The goal is instead to maximize other compounds that may have therapeutic benefits."

"Cannabis sativa has 84 other compounds that could fight pain or possibly even shrink tumors. But anti-marijuana laws make it difficult for scientists to breed and study the plant in most countries."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/08/19/139762352/cracking-the-marijuana-genome-in-search-of-therapeutic-highs?ps=sh_sthdl

Thursday, 11 August 2011

Acacia plant controls ants with chemical

This is an old topic, but it is really amazing!

In Africa and in the tropics, armies of tiny creatures make the twisting stems of acacia plants their homes.
Aggressive, stinging ants feed on the sugary nectar the plant provides and live in nests protected by its thick bark.
This is the world of "ant guards".
The acacias might appear overrun by them, but the plants have the ants wrapped around their little stems.
These same plants that provide shelter and produce nourishing nectar to feed the insects also make chemicals that send them into a defensive frenzy, forcing them into retreat.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8383577.stm

Tuesday, 2 August 2011

Height matters more than size for dispersing seeds

Plant height rather than seed mass is a better predictor of how far seeds will be dispersed, a study has shown.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14076475

A rainforest vine has evolved dish-shaped leaves to attract the bats that pollinate it



Tests revealed that the leaves were supremely efficient at bouncing back the sound pulses the flying mammals used to navigate.

When the leaves were present the bats located the plant twice as quickly as when these echoing leaves were removed.

A team of scientists in the UK and Germany reported its findings in the journal Science.

The study is the first to find a plant with "specialised acoustic features" to help bat pollinators find them using sound.

Most bats send out pulses of sound to find their way around; the way they sense objects in their environment by sensing how these pulses bounce off them is known as echolocation.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/14328999

Monday, 25 July 2011

Thank a genius

The Biomimicry Institute started a biodiversity conservation initiative to help protect the organisms and ecosystems helping humanity on its path towards sustainability.
Help protect the organism that inspires you, mentors you, that resulted in a breakthrough innovation. Afterall, shouldn't we honor the organisms and ecosystems that evolved these ingenious, sustainable ideas, and thank them for showing us the way?



http://www.asknature.org/article/view/thank_a_genius

Thursday, 9 June 2011

Meadow Salsify

Carnivorous bladderworts

Utricularia are carnivorous plants and capture small organisms by means of bladder-like traps.
High-speed cameras give scientists the chance to see carnivorous bladderworts suck in their prey — all in about half a millisecond.

Credit: Interdisciplinary Physics Lab/CNRS and Joseph Fourier University, Plant Biomechanics Group/University of Freiburg

Sunday, 5 June 2011

How computer science meets plant world

It is interesting to see how biologist and computer scientists share their expertise to study the complex world of the early responses of higher plants to abiotic stresses such as drought, flooding, heat, cold, ozone, and salt. 
The key to understanding the stress responses is signal transduction pathways, and the way researchers of  the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech are addressing the problem is quite unusual:
They will archive signaling pathways for abiotic stress responses in a database, ”Beacon",  a new systems biology tool that allows the plant biologist to construct and edit signaling pathways. With this information, it will be possible to integrate current and future data over multiple scales of a cell’s organization and across species.

Their work should allow the computational and statistical means to assess if the activity of one molecule causes a response in a second molecule. Innovative components of the Beacon system allow the possibility of simulating particular environmental conditions in order to identify potential new connections in these networks.

Let's wait and see how things will go!


http://www.eng.vt.edu/news/plant-biology-meets-computational-wizardry

Tuesday, 31 May 2011

Examining The Hummingbird Tongue



Hummingbirds can extend their tongues great distances — in some cases the length of their heads — to retrieve nectar. Biologist Margaret Rubega, of the University of Connecticut, explains how the structure of the hummingbird tongue traps liquid, and the evolution tales tongues tell.


The hummingbird tongue is a fluid trap, not a capillary tube

Alejandro Rico-Guevara1 and Margaret A. Rubega
PNAS May 2, 2011

Abstract

Hummingbird tongues pick up a liquid, calorie-dense food that cannot be grasped, a physical challenge that has long inspired the study of nectar-transport mechanics. Existing biophysical models predict optimal hummingbird foraging on the basis of equations that assume that fluid rises through the tongue in the same way as through capillary tubes. We demonstrate that the hummingbird tongue does not function like a pair of tiny, static tubes drawing up floral nectar via capillary action. Instead, we show that the tongue tip is a dynamic liquid-trapping device that changes configuration and shape dramatically as it moves in and out of fluids. We also show that the tongue–fluid interactions are identical in both living and dead birds, demonstrating that this mechanism is a function of the tongue structure itself, and therefore highly efficient because no energy expenditure by the bird is required to drive the opening and closing of the trap. Our results rule out previous conclusions from capillarity-based models of nectar feeding and highlight the necessity of developing a new biophysical model for nectar intake in hummingbirds. Our findings have ramifications for the study of feeding mechanics in other nectarivorous birds, and for the understanding of the evolution of nectarivory in general. We propose a conceptual mechanical explanation for this unique fluid-trapping capacity, with far-reaching practical applications (e.g., biomimetics).

Have you ever heard about Biomime?

The Swedish Center for Biomimetic Fiber Engineering (Biomime™) is a multidisciplinary Center of Excellence with cutting edge expertise at every level of the formation, modification and industrial utilization of wood, fibers and their constituent polymers. Their Mission is the understanding of the structure, self-assembly, and properties of complex plant cell walls in order to use the cell wall as a bioinspired model for advanced materials design. Mimicry of the natural self-assembly of cell wall macromolecules has a high potential to contribute to the future development of intelligent nanomaterials.

http://www.biomime.org/

Louie Schwartzberg: The hidden beauty of pollination


Pollination: it's vital to life on Earth, but largely unseen by the human eye. Filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg shows us the intricate world of pollen and pollinators with gorgeous high-speed images from his film "Wings of Life," inspired by the vanishing of one of nature's primary pollinators, the honeybee.

Friday, 20 May 2011

All about Ants

Ants are so abundant that mimicking them has become a profitable way of life for many species. Florian Maderspacher and Marcus Stensmyr take a trip into the world of ant mimicry.

Read the article on Current Biology

Friday, 13 May 2011

The Giant Waterlilly

Giant waterlillies in the Amazon -  a beautiful video taken from "The Private Life of Plants" by David Attenborough

 

Tuesday, 10 May 2011

Charles Darwin and the Origins of Plant Evolutionary Developmental Biology



Plant Cell: Charls Darwin was the first person who carefully read and internalize the remarkable advances in the understanding of plant morphogenesis in the 1840s and 1850s, and his notebooks, correspondence, and unpublished manuscripts clearly demonstrate that he had discovered the developmental basis for the evolutionary transformation of plant form

The Plant Cell Online April 2011

Friday, 6 May 2011

Dance of the Dumbo Octopus

This footage of a Dumbo octopus was captured 6600 deep off the coast of Oregon, cool video taken from The Science News Blog

A New Era of Space Exploration

Thursday, 5 May 2011

Nectar: generation, regulation and ecological functions





In the April Issue of Trends in Plant Science, Martin Heil reviews the recent breakthroughs in the research on nectar proteomics and on the multiple roles of invertases in nectar secretion. Read the article.

Friday, 29 April 2011

The Lake Vostok

Lake Vostok is the largest lakes found under the surface of Antarctica. 
The lake is located beneath Russia's Vostok Station, 4,000 metres under the surface of the ice sheet. Lake Vostok covers an area of 15,690 square kilometres and thanks to the similarities to other lakes (Ontario in America and Lake Malawi in Africa) geologist could guess the period of its formation: about 65 million years ago, when Antarctica still had a tropical to subtropical climate. 
Scientists found that the lake under the ice is not froze, and the temperature could vary between 18 C to -4 C, so life could still be there!!
Russians stopped to drill in January 2011 to avoid possible contaminations, and now scientific community is try to define a way to:
- Go down the 4000m of ice (without drilling)
- Sample the water avoiding the contamination of the water
It is very easy to guess that the space agencies are extremely interested in this unique place on Earth, because if they will be able to find some living organisms they might be evolved separately from the rest of the world for 65 million years! 
I really suggest you to watch  this documentary if you haven't seen it yet:





Thursday, 28 April 2011

Tobacco plants act like “evil lollipops”

Plant tricomes exuded sugar-rich compound to attract larvae, but they are like dangerous lollipops:
In fact they tag caterpillars with a distinctive odor that complements the indirect defenses of plants, providing explicit information about the location of feeding larvae to predators. Full article available on  PNAS April 25, 2011

Wednesday, 27 April 2011

Plants and magnetic fields

If plants generate magnetic fields, they’re not sayin’

“There is a lot of activity now by scientists studying biomagnetism in animals, but not in plants,” said Dmitry Budker, UC Berkeley professor of physics. “It is an obvious gap in science right now.”

An Orchid Explosion

Cool video showing another pollination system of orchids!
Watch it and let me know what you think!

Action potentials can affect photosynthesis


The hypothesis that chlorophyll a fluorescence is under electrochemical control has been validated in a very interesting paper pubblished in March on Journal of Experimental Botany:
A detailed analysis of chlorophyll a fluorescence kinetics and gas exchange measurements in response to generation of action potentials in irritated Dionea muscipula traps was used to determine the ‘site effect’ of the electrical signal-induced inhibition of photosynthesis.
The paper is of primary importance, linking for the first time a physiological regulation process with electrical activity in plants.

 to read the article click here

Drosera, some beautful pics

Drosera comprise one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants. They lure, capture, and digest insects using mucilaginous glands covering their leaf surface. The insects are used to supplement the poor mineral nutrition of the soil in which they grow.
I took these pictures in the Botanical Garden in Leiden, and you can clearly see the glandular tentacles, topped with sticky secretions, that cover their leaves. 



The trapping and digestion mechanism usually employs two types of glands: some glands secrete sweet mucilage to attract and ensnare insects and enzymes to digest them, and some others that absorb the resulting nutrient soup.

Dracula plants

The shade avoidance syndrome (SAS) allows plants to anticipate and avoid shading by neighbouring plants by initiating an elongation growth response.
In a new research article, pubblished on the Journal od Experimental Botany, authors were able to create a mutant that don't avoid shade: Scientists at Royal Holloway, University of London and The Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics, Barcelona have been studying the effects of this shade avoidance and are hoping to eventually impede this response to increase planting density.
Mutants not showing SAS syndrome were called dracula1

To read the article clik here Journal of Experimental Botany


Scent of death

The orchid Satyrium pumilum is able to attract insects by mimicking the smell of rotting flesh.
A new study comparing the scent of the orchids with that of roadkill is to be published in the Annals of Botany 

The author was puzzled by the shape of the flowers. They don't carry any nectar and even if they did, the spurs that would hold it are the wrong shape to feed any visitors. So how do they attract insects to pollinate their flowers?

Photos by Dennis Hansen





The roots of plant intelligence


I really like this talk, people always undervalue the importance of plants, while they represent an astonishing variety of amazing organisms...

Janine Benyus shares nature's designs | Video on TED.com




This is how I would like to start my blog: an ispiring talk about biomimetic to consider the wonders of Nature!!