Dandelion Seeds

Each seed on the head of a dandelion has a preferred wind direction, according to new research. Seeds facing the breeze are most likely to release from the head, with those facing other directions holding on tens to hundreds of times harder — until their breeze comes along. To measure the force needed to pluck a dandelion seed, researchers superglued a fine wire to individual seeds and pulled from different directions. This seed-by-seed removal mimics winds from varying angles and allowed the researchers to test the directional dependence of seed release. With seeds poised to release in every direction, the dandelion ensures its successful spread. (Image credit: S. Chaudhry; research credit: J. Shields and C. Roh; via Science News; submitted by Kam-Yung Soh)