The Triumph of Seeds summary

Did you know that most of our coal originates from a single geological period in Earth’s history? It’s called the Carboniferous era, and it began about 359.2 million years ago and lasted for the next 60 million.

Experts used to think that Earth’s entire climate was warm and rainy during this time, which created swampy landscapes that were dominated by the spore plants that thrive in such conditions. This theory suggests that seed plants didn’t arrive until the climate dried up, which they believe happened during the following period, the Permian era.

Hibernation isn’t just a way for bears to make it through a cold winter. Seeds do something similar. But instead of just one season, seeds can lie dormant for years, or, given the right conditions, much, much longer.

This is what the seeds you buy at the store are doing. Whether they’re grass seeds waiting to be spread around your backyard, or herb and flower seeds for your garden, all of these seeds have matured and are awaiting germination.

It would seem that seeds are pretty well protected if they can last thousands of years. But it’s not just the normal wear and tear of age that seeds are designed to withstand. They also have defenses against the mice, squirrels and other rodents and animals that love a tasty seed treat.

These creatures actually represented an evolutionary dilemma for seed plants. On the one hand, the plants need to defend themselves, but, on the other, these creatures can provide a helpful way to disperse their seeds.

Rodents and birds aren’t the only ones who enjoy the fruit that a plant keeps its seeds in. It’s difficult for anyone not to be attracted by the sweet scents, appealing texture and wide variety of flavors offered by cherries, peaches, apples, nectarines and so forth.

This is no accident. Since their purpose is to act as bait for animals to disperse the seeds, fruits need to be attractive and appealing.

As science has progressed, one of the more fascinating developments has been the controversial ability to manipulate genetic material. While this makes news all the time when it comes to animals and humans, it’s also a complicated subject for seeds.

Scientists actually began manipulating seeds decades ago, and in the mid-twentieth century they created seedless young: a method of breeding seed plants to create infertile offspring.