The Surprising Way Plants Really Sense Heat

The Surprising Way Plants Really Sense Heat

For a decade, scientists have believed that plants sensed temperature mainly through specialised proteins, and mainly at night when the air is cool. New research by Fan and colleagues suggest that during the day, another signal takes over. Sugar, produced in sunlight, helps plants detect heat and decide when to grow. This study, led by Meng Chen, a University of California, Riverside professor of cell biology, shows that plants rely on multiple …