A New Rose Is Part Plant, Part Color-Changing Machine
Interesting read in SmithsonianMag on the science behind a new rose that’s customizable by color. It reminds me of the charming antics of Antoine Doinel, who experiments with dyeing carnations in the Truffaut film Bed and Board. But, if this is the future, I guess I’ll have to say goodbye to my all time favorite excuse “It’s all they had!”
Imagine this: It’s time to buy your sweetie some flowers, so you head to the florist’s, press a button and watch a dozen roses change to your partner’s favorite color before your eyes. It sounds like a far-fetched scenario, but it could eventually become a reality: Materials scientists have created a partially electronic rose that has color-changing leaves, Katherine Bourzac reports for Scientific American,
This feat of science was achieved by incorporating electronic materials into everyday roses. In a paper published in Science Advances, researchers explain that they took advantage of roses’ capillary systems to infuse them with a conductive (and water soluable) polymer called PEDOT.
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