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To: Alamo-Girl
On first blush, it appears that although it has been known for 100 years that roots know "down" and leaves know "up" (etc.) - that the actual work to determine what part of that it is genetic “knowledge" or “memory” of gravity – versus dynamic adaptation to gravity/motion stimuli - must wait for experiments which can only be done in space.

There's a lot that is and can be done by increasing Gs by centrifugation. Most of the candidate genes and proteins that are involved in gravitropism are discovered this way. Plants are a good model to study tropisms. But gravity affects all living cells, not just plants and bacteria with flagella. It isn't so remarkable that something that has a definite physical effect on living organisms is part and parcel of what that organism is about.

420 posted on 10/08/2003 10:21:51 AM PDT by Nebullis
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To: Nebullis
Thank you so much for sharing your insight! Is there a particular journal I should watch to look for new discoveries in gravity related biological research?
427 posted on 10/08/2003 12:25:23 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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