I S S U E 1 J U N 2 0 2 0 N O T E S F R O M T H E E D I T O R 01 OF SOWING: By EUGENE WAMBECK We started the year with jubilant topic last year. It should be a expectations for a new decade of recurring theme to guide our efforts change. In recent months though, to develop society even as we push an obscure virus has dominated through this decade. It is fitting the news and our thoughts, then that the United Nations has foreshadowing the joy of major declared 2020 as the International events around the World such Year of Plant Health. The UN as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. General Assembly see this year as Despite the gloom, and desperate an opportunity to raise awareness measures most countries have on protecting plant health in been forced to take to contain the order to end hunger, protect the virus, the human spirit remains environment and sustain economic strong. We’ve seen great examples development. It is a clarion call for of neighbourliness and sacrifice measured stewardship! to help one another tide through this crisis. On the scientific front, In this maiden edition of there is a silver lining as well. Whilst ISawtheScience, we echo the conditions are tough for every one United Nations’ 2020 theme and and some fear prevails, there has cast the spotlight on plants. They been an unprecedented effort to inhabit the Earth with us, but we increase scientific communication. often take plants for granted. 2019 These efforts are crucial to explain saw vast swathes of the Amazon what we know about the virus and burnt. Our green lungs diminished illustrate how preventive personal and alongside the devastation, hygiene measures can help to lower biodiversity was lost. Our articles the risk of spread. We have also bring out the simplicity of plants witnessed increased information as a precious resource and remind sharing and collaborative research us that our actions bear. We are among research institutions to spur inextricably linked to nature. Take a faster development of solutions this step to stoke your curiosity of to combat the virus. plants. When you see these green miracles in a new light, you will This year should have been the year undoubtedly wish to protect them. to cast our sights on the future. After all what is a green planet Sustainability was the prevalent without its plants? I SAW THE SCIENCE Chief Editor Eugene Wambeck Editors Ng Mei Bao Raphael Ng Everlyne Tan Jennifer Loy Cover & Layout Toh Bee Suan C O N T E N T P3-4 P14-16 A STICKY SITUATION GOLDEN SUNLAND RICE & ITS VARIANT INTERVIEW SINGAPORE IN THE RICE INDUSTRY P5-7 IT’S ALL GREEK TO P17-18 ME FIVE THINGS YOU PLANT NAMING AND GREEK MYTHOLOGY NEED TO KNOW P8-10 ABOUT AIR PLANTS PLANT HEALTH: A High-rise Container P19-22 Gardener’s Journey INVADERS ALL PLANT HEALTH AROUND US INVASIVE ANIMALS AND PLANTS IN SINGAPORE P11-13 NEVER ENOUGH FOOD: Can We Change Our Ways? FOOD WASTE & SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE 03 A STICKY 1 SITUATION Written by RAPHAEL NG Illustrations by TOH BEE SUAN Food was always something that inspired me. The way flavours and textures opened a world of experiences captivated my younger days. Most intriguing to me was the humble rice grain, which is actually the seed of a type of grass. This staple food for a large part of the world’s population held culinary wonders. My interest in science led me to marry science and rice; to use science to learn about what gave rice its unique taste and texture. I used to be under the impression that brown rice and white rice tasted different as they were different types of rice, but I was wrong. Brown rice and white rice can be the same variety, even the same species. The only difference lies in the coating. Brown rice is a rice grain with only the inedible hull removed via milling, leaving the starchy endosperm, cereal germ and bran layer behind. White rice is, in fact, brown rice that has undergone further milling to remove the cereal germ and bran layer. The bran layer is the key to the harder texture, nuttier taste, and higher nutritional content of brown rice. Another way in which rice can vary lies in the proportions of the type of starch it contains. Rice contains two forms of starch, amylose and amylopectin. The shorter the rice grains, the more amylopectin it contains, which makes the rice stickier when cooked. Likewise, the longer the rice grain, the more amylose it contains, making the rice less sticky when cooked. This stickiness in turn affects the texture of the cooked rice. So the next time you bite into the sticky glutinous rice that makes up your ba zhang or savour the fragrant basmati rice of your nasi briyani, appreciate the little things of rice which gives us life! FUN FACT: Rice is actually the seed of a type of grass! A S T I C K Y S I T U A T I O N 04 2 IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME Written by LIM MENG HWEE Illustrations by TOH BEE SUAN Every species of living things has its own unique scientific name, following a system laid out by Carl Linnaeus in his book “Systema Naturae” in 1758. The rules to naming a new living thing are very vague, it just has to be in Latin and follow a 2 name system with a genus and species name. This allows for some interesting backstories to sneak in according to the whims of the scientist who first described and named the genus. Here are some plants which carry with them beautiful Greek stories along with some pretty petals. HYACINTH The genus Hyacinthus refers to a group of bulbous plants with fragrant and brightly coloured flowers that group in a tight cluster on its stalk. The bulbs of the Hyacinth plant contain oxalic acid that can cause skin irritation if handled without protection. Oxalic acid is strong enough to remove rust, so you can imagine how well this works for the plant as a defence mechanism. The story of Hyacinthus can be traced to a tragic Greek legend. Hyacinthus was a strikingly handsome Spartan prince, which proved a blessing and a curse. Young Hyacinthus caught the eye of the god, Apollo. Well, Apollo was not alone as Zephyrus, the west wind, also had his eyes on the strapping young lad. But Zephyrus, bitten by the bug of jealousy, was not at all happy seeing Apollo and Hyacinthus together. One day when Apollo and Hyacinthus were throwing the discus (imagine a heavy frisbee) together, Zephyrus shifted the winds so that the discus flew into Hyacinthus head, mortally wounding him. As he died in the grieving Apollo’s arms, the god transformed his dear friend into a flower to immortalize his beauty. This flower bears the sweet prince’s name of Hyacinthus of which we still call it to this day. thus Hyacin I T ’ S A L L G R E E K T O M E 06 https://hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/2015/hammer-projects-mary-reid-kelley donna Bella Atropa DEADLY NIGHTSHADE One of the most toxic plants is the death. Looks to die for? measures out the thread with her Atropa belladonna, known as the measuring rod, determines what Deadly Nightshade. Every part of Where did Atropa belladonna get fate shall befall the individual. this plant is poisonous, the roots its name from? Both the plant Lastly, Atropos, who cuts the being the deadliest, followed by and the toxin found in it, atropine, thread of life with her shears, the flowers and the sweet-looking get their name from an equally decides when and how one’s life berries. Ingesting just five of its deadly being in Greek mythology: ends. berries can kill a child while 10 – Atropos. She is 1 of 3 sisters 20 can kill a man. collectively known as the Moirai, Also known as the “inevitable” or also known as the fate sisters. “unturnable” one, there was no Such is the potency of Atropa bargaining or reasoning with the belladonna. Unbelievably, this Each one of the sisters had a fate Atropos meted out. When deadly plant was once used in specific role in governing the lives she cuts off a life thread, that life cosmetics to dilate pupils and and destinies of mortals. There is will end. A fitting name for a plant make them seem more beautiful. Clotho who spins out the thread of (Atropa belladonna) that can do Overuse of this plant could cause life for all beings, governing over just the same. hallucination, blindness or even when one is born. Lachesis, who I T ’ S A L L G R E E K T O M E GRAPES Let us move on to something less deadly, grapes. The scientific name for this fruit is Vitis spp, but where does the Greek part come in? Grapes on their own are harmless, but after some processing, they become something else entirely: wine. Wine has been widely consumed and beloved by all cultures, even until today. For the Greeks, wine was associated with the god Dionysus who was literally the god of wine, among other things. The scientific names of other living things have sprouted from the humble grape and wine owing to the adventures of our Greek party god, Dionysus. In his travels to spread the joys of winemaking to the rest of the European world, he went to the country of Assyria (in modern-day Iraq).