Buried in the earth, almost too small to see, seeds have long been underestimated — dismissed as mere inert specks, barely even considered alive.
Yet the more closely researchers have examined these embryonic plants, the more they have learned about their dynamism and endurance. Many are made for time travel — small, sturdy packages that can lie dormant underground for years, waiting for just the right moment to emerge. Their persistence provides a lifeline for species in unpredictable climates, allowing plants to stockpile offspring in the soil during periods of prolonged drought.
"They have evolved such an amazing diversity of strategies for coping with uncertainty," said Marina LaForgia, an ecologist at California State University at Sacramento.
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