In the News: The Blue Rose

Fig.1. The Suntry "blue" rose is at the center of a shift in plant engineering
(Credit: BlueRoseMan, 2011)

From laser technology to DNA barcoding, the modern study of plants involves increasingly unique approaches to examining preserved specimens. This week in the news, we remember the history of herbaria, grow miniature vegetables, and start a home-grown plant engineering movement that seeks to shake up genetics!

• A home-grown engineering movement wants to revolutionize plant science on a genetic level, with a blue rose as the ultimate prize: “Instead Of Computer Code, ‘Plant Hackers’ Tinker With Genetics,” Wall Street Journal (19 January 2016)

• Detailed notes, glass models, and Wunderkammern are part of the long history of collecting and preserving precious plant specimens: “What A Glass Menagerie In Harvard Tells Us About The Art Of Science,” The Wire (07 January 2016)

• From soil to shipping, these farmers plan out every step of production for exquisite vegetables that wind up on plates in high-end restaurants: “Meet The Most Pampered Vegetables In America,” NPR (25 January 2016)

• Tree rings and laser technology reveal that the loss of American Indian populations coincided with the first permanent European settlements and had drastic effects on the surrounding ecosystem: “New Mexico’s American Indian Population Crashed 100 Years After Europeans Arrived,” Science (25 January, 2016)