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A Plant That Can Smell
BlueCup writes "The question of how a dodder finds a host plant has puzzled researchers. Many thought it simply grew in a random direction, with discovery of a plant to attack being a chance encounter. But the researchers led by Consuelo M. De Moraes found that if they placed tomato plants near a germinating dodder, the parasite headed for the tomato 80 percent of the time. And when they put scent chemicals from a tomato on rubber, 73 percent of the dodder seedlings headed that way. Turns out, it sniffs out it's prey."
...you don't smell the plants, the plants smell you.
A dodder by any other name would smell tomatoes.
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Ummm, yeah, for decades they have noticed and made use of the host finding behaviour of the dodder.
1. And assumed the dodders behaviour was explained by "random twisting".
2. This experiment found that "random twisting" can not explain the dodders behaviour.
3. Iff the experiment can be repeated, the assumption is broken. Science will look for a stronger explaination as to how the dodder finds a host.
4. RTFA before "arse spraying" it with that boiling alkaline excretion of yours.
5. ????
6. Profit!
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.