video: The opening of a seed pod. Two valves of Bauhinia pod as they dry in front of the camera. The decreasing humidity I the tissue generates internal stresses that turn the two initially flat valves into two, oppositely curled helical strips. This mechanical transition drives the “explosion” of pods and seed dispersal. This video relates to an article that appeared in the Sept. 23, 2011, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study, by S. Armon at Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Jerusalem, Israel, and colleagues was titled, "Geometry and Mechanics in the Opening of Chiral Seed Pods.” view more
Credit: Video © <i>Science</i>/AAAS