Talking about plants:The Sense About Science plant science panel from root to shoot

摘要

Chris Peters describes the origins and workings of a novel means of communication that has been established between scientists and the public.Should we plant more trees/forests -if this holds water in upland areasand reduces flood risk? Would this have made a difference with the flooding we're seeing at the moment? How much?" "Could a genetically modified approach help tackle ash dieback in the UK?"Scientists on the plant science panel have responded to these and hundreds more, often tricky, questions on plant genetics, land management, the environment and food. The Plant Science Panel is an online resource that gives people the opportunity to puttheir questions directly to plant scientists. It is not a gardening advice forum, but rather an open and ongoing invitation from the scientific research community to anyone who wants to get in touch and talk to them about issues they are worried about. And it all began when a group of researchers decided to talk to those who wanted to vandalise their research.