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Biological Clock Found in Plants
Joe the Lesser writes "This CNN article discusses how scientists have found that a chemical 'clock' that tells a plant to prepare for the sun. The clock controls an enzyme that modifies a protein called D1. This protein is critical for photosynthesis, the process whereby plants extract light and convert it to food. When D1 binds with phosphorus, it creates a modified protein found in chloroplast -- a special structure in the cell that's made of carbohydrates, fat and proteins."
Why is it that an article discovery about this 'clock' system in plants seems to be more a description of photosynthesis (which is fairly well understood, if I remember my highschool biology correctly) than the newly discovered clock?
Maybe they just don't know how the clock works yet, but it would be nice to have more information about the nature of the clock than a explaination of photosynthesis. I know that that photosynthesis is worked in because the clock has an effect on it, but is that really the real story? It isn't IMHO.
"Karma can only be portioned out by the cosmos." -- Homer Simpson
I wonder if this has anything to do with how old a plant will become. Maybe if they can control its biological clock, they can extend the days of that plant.
...they could find a way to get this to apply to humans. Like a nightly pill. If it's naturally made by plants, it could be cheaper than sythetic and it could make the alarm clock obsolete.
Only in slashdot are posts of solidarity modded at -1 Redundant, while posts of antagonism are modded as -1 Flamebait.
There may not be an actual use for this protein for us, but it may give us a better understanding of the mechanism by which it works. A novel mechanism may give us a better understanding of some interactions in our own body, even if the pathways may not be directly related in function.
I agree, completely. However, for some reason it made me laugh.
I think my sense of humor is bored and experimenting with surrealism.