Media Sales announces the video release "Roots of Discovery". This groundbreaking scientific film documents futuristic research on plant sensory systems and the environmental significance of understanding what makes plants grow, through the impact of gravity, electrical signals and hormones on plants.
Plants are vital to humankind's existence. From providing the oxygen we breathe to the foods we eat, plants are a renewable resource upon which our existence depends. Plants, unlike animals, have not developed specific organs that see, hear, and feel various environmental stimuli. Nor can they move to avoid adverse environmental conditions. Yet, plants respond to various environmental stimuli and survive significant fluctuations in environmental conditions.
How plants perceive and respond to environmental signals is one of the major unanswered questions in biological sciences. Recent advances in biotechnology are providing scientists with unprecedented opportunities to find answers to many long-standing questions.
The video "Roots of Discovery", primarily underwritten by National Science Foundation and NASA, and the National Space Development Agency of Japan explores plant sensory responses to various environmental signals, particularly gravity. Discussions with scientists, musings about the nature of science, footage of experiments (including a space shuttle experiment), and 3D animation combine feature a unique collaborative effort on this topic by the "Network on Plant Sensory Systems. The NASA/NSF Network for research on plant sensory systems brings together scientists from across the United States and around the world who were selected based on their scientific excellence. The collaborative team includes scientists from Ohio State University, Stanford University, Scripps Research Institute, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Washington University, Yale University, University of Wisconsin, South Dakota State University, and Brown University. Leading the video project for the ten university labs and twelve scientists is Dr. Sarah M. Assmann, Professor of Biology, the Pennsylvania State University. The results of the research supported by this joint program will contribute to the long-term health of the environment.
"Roots of Discovery" is available through Penn State Public Broadcasting Media Sales by calling 814-863-3102 or 800-770-2111. Order through our web site http://www.mediasales.psu.edu.
Penn State Public Broadcasting Laura Miller
Media Sales Coordinator Media Sales
118 Wagner Building 814-865-3333 extension 266
University Park, PA 16802