The document is an excerpt from Michael Pollan's book "The Botany of Desire" which examines the coevolutionary relationship between humans and plants. It explores how plants have appealed to human desires for sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control in order to promote their own survival and reproduction. The excerpt summarizes chapters on apples and their appeal to our innate desire for sweetness; tulips and their visually appealing beauty; marijuana and its intoxicating effects; and how humans' desire for control is reflected in our genetic engineering of potatoes. Pollan argues plants have evolved traits that fulfill fundamental human psychological and physical needs in order to ensure their own propagation and survival.
Pteridophyta or Pteridophytes are Vascular Plants (also known as "seedless plants") that reproduce and disperse via spores. They do not produce either seeds or flowers.
Additional info:
+ Division Equisetophyta (horsetails & scouring rushes)
+ Division Psilotophyta (whisk ferns)
(This is our report in Botany 2.)
Made by: Sharmine Ballesteros (BS Biology 2A2-1)
Pteridophyta or Pteridophytes are Vascular Plants (also known as "seedless plants") that reproduce and disperse via spores. They do not produce either seeds or flowers.
Additional info:
+ Division Equisetophyta (horsetails & scouring rushes)
+ Division Psilotophyta (whisk ferns)
(This is our report in Botany 2.)
Made by: Sharmine Ballesteros (BS Biology 2A2-1)
Organisms with hidden form of reproduction or reproductive structure. This presentation provide a comprehensive knowledge on such organisms thereby aiding to clearly distinguish them from the Phanerogams, which are organisms with and identifiable form of reproduction or their reproductive structures are identifiable.
Sclerenchyma structure-and-classification-pptAmna Mustafa
In sclerenchyma. Mature sclerenchyma cells are usually dead cells that have heavily thickened secondary walls containing lignin. The cells are rigid and nonstretchable and are usually found in nongrowing regions of plant bodies, such as the bark or mature stems.
Detail description about important fungi that comes under chytridiomycota and zygomycota has been described, gives an idea about fungi and their life cycles under thus groups
Organisms with hidden form of reproduction or reproductive structure. This presentation provide a comprehensive knowledge on such organisms thereby aiding to clearly distinguish them from the Phanerogams, which are organisms with and identifiable form of reproduction or their reproductive structures are identifiable.
Sclerenchyma structure-and-classification-pptAmna Mustafa
In sclerenchyma. Mature sclerenchyma cells are usually dead cells that have heavily thickened secondary walls containing lignin. The cells are rigid and nonstretchable and are usually found in nongrowing regions of plant bodies, such as the bark or mature stems.
Detail description about important fungi that comes under chytridiomycota and zygomycota has been described, gives an idea about fungi and their life cycles under thus groups
A brief description about soil genesis formation, pedology and edaphology concept, solum and regolith, soil pH and soil profile for the Engineering student at Under Graduate level
**needs updates and improvements
these slide is made with excerpts from other published and unpublished books,journals, studies and om-line references.No Plagiarism was intended.
Made for April-May 2015 Agriculture Major Admission test Review. Cavite State University.
Root genetic research and its application in plant breeding or crop improvementOm Prakash Patidar
UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES, DHARWAD
DEPARTMENT OF GENETICS AND PLANT BREEDING Master’s seminar-II
Root genetic research and its applications in plant breeding
Speaker: Om Prakash Patidar Date: 20/03/2015 ID No.: PGS13AGR6140 Time: 3:00 PM
Synopsis
Roots play an essential role in the acquisition of water and minerals from soils. Root system architecture (RSA), the spatial configuration of a root system in the soil, is used to describe the shape and structure of root system. Its importance in plant productivity lies in the fact that major soil resources are heterogeneously distributed in the soil, so that the spatial deployment of roots will substantially determine the ability of a plant to secure edaphic resources. Measuring crop root architecture and assaying for changes in function can be challenging, but examples have emerged showing that modifications to roots result in higher yield and increased stress tolerance.1
A marker-assisted back-crossing (MABC) breeding programme was conducted to improve the root morphological traits, and thereby drought tolerance, of the Indian upland rice variety, Kalinga III. The donor parent was Azucena, an upland japonica variety from Philippines. Five segments on different chromosomes were targeted for introgression; four segments carried QTLs for improved root morphological traits and the fifth carried a recessive QTL for aroma. It significantly increased root length under both irrigated and drought stress treatments.2
Alteration of root system architecture improves drought avoidance through the cloning and characterization of DEEPER ROOTING 1 (DRO1), a rice quantitative trait locus controlling root growth angle. Higher expression of DRO1 increases the root growth angle, whereby roots grow in a more downward direction. Introducing DRO1 into a shallow-rooting rice cultivar by backcrossing enabled the resulting line to avoid drought by increasing deep rooting, which maintained high yield performance under drought conditions relative to the recipient cultivar.3
GmEXPB2, A vegetative -expansin gene, clone from a Pi starvation-induced soybean cDNA library. GmEXPB2 was found to be primarily expressed in roots, and was highly induced by Pi starvation, and the induction pattern was confirmed by GUS staining in transgenic soybean hairy roots. Results from intact soybean composite showed that GmEXPB2 is involved in hairy root elongation, and subsequently affects plant growth and P uptake, especially at low P levels.4
Candidate Aluminum tolerance proteins include organic acid efflux transporters, with the organic acids forming non-toxic complexes with rhizosphere aluminum. ge
Soil science for teachers (massive-the real dirt on soil)Moira Whitehouse
A very large Slide Show on soil. Useful for anyone without formal earth science training who might need to bone up or teach any aspect of soil. It's huge, 159 slides. It could also be split up into several lessons for students.
Introduction to soil science,
Fields of application in soil science
Soil
Function of Soil and
Major environmental issues
Scope of soil science,
Pedological and edaphological concepts,
This is an introductory soil science presentation that I give to Master Gardeners, agribusiness personnel, farmers, and soil science students. Please feel free to contact me at andykleinschmidt@gmail.com with any comments regarding the presentation.
The author came to speak at Temple University in October, 2016. Many of us in Liberal Arts decided to teach his book, Between The World and Me, to encourage students to hear him speak. Here is a powerpoint I created on the book.
An overview on the American presence in the Vietnam war with an emphasis on failed strategy in fighting the war, particularly the so-called "war of attrition."
This powerpoint is based on the chapter called Tulip which also deals with the theme of beauty. I made this into a class exercise in which students look at images and decide their reaction to them: beautiful or not.
I developed this powerpoint from smaller ones I had used to teach various sections of Freud's theory. Students have a very difficult time with The Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis.
I developed this powerpoint when I taught River Out of Eden by Richard Dawkins. Most of the students found Dawkins to be fascinating, but they weren't so hot on the actual book.
This powerpoint is based on key chapters in Weisman's The World Without Us. I teach the book as a supplementary text to Jane Jacobs, The Life and Death of American Cities.
This powerpoint helps to provide the backstory to the Iliad, and illustrates the key gods in the text along with their affiliation for Greeks or Trojans.
When I teach On the Origin of Species, I follow a trajectory that is indicated on the powerpoint. I also make sure that students get the background for evolutionary biology. In 2009 to 2010, I used the powerpoint to emphasize the Dialogues with Darwin project that I did along with some IH faculty with the American Philosophical Society. (See preceding powerpoint.)
Instructions for Submissions thorugh G- Classroom.pptxJheel Barad
This presentation provides a briefing on how to upload submissions and documents in Google Classroom. It was prepared as part of an orientation for new Sainik School in-service teacher trainees. As a training officer, my goal is to ensure that you are comfortable and proficient with this essential tool for managing assignments and fostering student engagement.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
Embracing GenAI - A Strategic ImperativePeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Macroeconomics- Movie Location
This will be used as part of your Personal Professional Portfolio once graded.
Objective:
Prepare a presentation or a paper using research, basic comparative analysis, data organization and application of economic information. You will make an informed assessment of an economic climate outside of the United States to accomplish an entertainment industry objective.
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
A Strategic Approach: GenAI in EducationPeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
1. The Botany of Desire
What do plants think of us?
1 Bertolino-Botany of Desire-Mosaic 852
2. What Does the Title Mean?
• botany bot·a·ny [bot-n-ee]
• noun, plural bot·a·nies.
• 1.the science of plants; the branch of biology that deals with
plant life.
• 2.the plant life of a region: the botany of Alaska.
• 3.the biology of a plant or plant group: the botany of
deciduous trees.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/botany
• Botany is the study of plants. One does not have to be a
scientist to study plants. Gardeners, cooks, herbalists and
florists all take a great interest in plants. Plants serve a
function for them. Other people just enjoy plants. Feng shui
design encourages people to have certain plants in their
homes and offices. 2 Bertolino-Botany of Desire-Mosaic 852
3. Desire
Desire de·sire [dih-zahyuhr] verb (used with object)
• 1.to wish or long for; crave; want.
• 2.to express a wish to obtain; ask for; request: The mayor
desires your presence at the next meeting.
• Noun 3.a longing or craving, as for something that brings
satisfaction or enjoyment: a desire for fame.
• 4.an expressed wish; request.
• 5.something desired.
• Desire is often innate; we may not even be in touch with
what we think we want.
• Listen to some pop songs and notice how many use the
word desire, usually rhyming it with fire, higher, mire, liar.
Why does pop music focus so much on desire? Bertolino-Botany of Desire-Mosaic 852
3
6. Introduction: The Human Bumblebee
• The author, Michael Pollan, also serves as the narrator.
• The narrator wonders about his relationship to his garden: who
is in control?
• He decided that he coexists with his plants in a
“coevolutionary bargain ”similar to the one between the bee
and the apple tree. As he explains: “the two parties act on each
other to advance their individual interests but wind up trading
favors.” The bee takes the nectar from the apple blossoms, and
the apple pollinates other trees through the bee. Both the
species continue through mutual design and unconscious
agreement.(xiv)
• Pollan wonders if he shares a similar role to plants: did he
decide to plant them in his garden or did they his choice by
appealing to his desire for sweetness, beauty, intoxication and
control?
• He decides to write the book from the plant‟s point of view as a
way to determine how they continued to survive. He sees each
study as a journey of evolutionary triumph for eachBertolino-Botany of Desire-Mosaic 852
6 type of
plant.
7. What is Coevolution?
• Coevolution: a process in which two or more different species reciprocally
effect each other‟s evolution. For example, species A evolves, which
causes species B to evolve, which causes species A to evolve, which
causes species B to evolve and so on.
• Coevolution is likely to happen when different species have close ecological
interactions with one another. These ecological relationships include:
• 1. Predator/prey and parasite/host
• 2.Competitive species (when both are struggling to dominate)
• 3. Mutualistic species (a species interaction in which both of the interacting
species profit from the interaction)
• Plants and insects represent a classic case of coevolution—one that is
often, but not always, mutualistic. Many plants and their pollinators are
so reliant on one another and their relationships are so exclusive that
biologists have good reason to think that the “match” between the two
is the result of a coevolutionary process.
(http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIIFCoevolution.shtml)
7 Bertolino-Botany of Desire-Mosaic 852
8. Chapter 1: Desire-Sweetness, Plant--
Apple
• Why do we desire sweetness in our lives?
• It is not the same as intoxication in which we want
to forget our problems: sweetness is something
innate to our survival. Once it was a way for us to
generate enough calories to survive when food
was difficult to find.
• Apples were not always sweet. Their taste varied
from acidic to tart to bitter to nutlike.
• Pollan believes we have lost our sense of
sweetness by latching onto fake tastes that
resemble what our ancestors might have called
sweet.
• Chemicals in food have taken away our ability to
recognize a sweet taste. Sweetness has been
domesticated just like the apple.
8 Bertolino-Botany of Desire-Mosaic 852
9. John Chapman/Johnny Appleseed
• He traveled from Pennsylvania through central Ohio to
Indiana by foot, planting apple trees
• Originally from Longmeadow, Massachusetts.
• He planted apple trees on the frontier so that settlers would
be drawn to live there. He sold the trees to the settlers, then
moved on.
• He was selling something everyone needed by law: „a land
grant in the Northwest Territory specifically required a settler
to set out at least 50 apple or pear trees…for his deed. The
purpose was to dampen real estate speculation by
encouraging homesteaders to put down roots.” (16)
• Since so many of the apples were bitter, they became hard
cider. Johnny Appleseed brought alcohol to the frontier.
9 Bertolino-Botany of Desire-Mosaic 852
10. Chapter 2: Desire: Beauty/Plant:
Tulip
• The tulip was the first flower Pollan ever planted.
• He believes that beauty is part of an evolutionary design for
survival.
• Psychiatrists regard a patient’s indifference to flowers as a
symptom of clinical depression. (64)
• Flowers may indicate the nearby presence of food, which is why
they figure prominently as an evolutionary component of survival
for man.
• The beauty of the flower makes it attractive to bees for pollination.
Flowers have gender roles, male and female, but do not
reproduce among themselves. They need others for reproduction,
so that their species will continue.
• Symmetry in a plant is an extravagance and nature would not take
the time for it if it didn’t garner a result, which is luring bees to the
flowers for pollination. So even the shape of the flower is by
design.
• Pollan calls roses, peonies, orchids and tulips “our canonical
flowers, the Shakespeares, Miltons and Tolstoys of the plant
Bertolino-Botany of Desire-Mosaic 852
world.”(78) 10
11. Chapter 3: Desire: Intoxication/Plant:
Marijuana
• Pollan begins the chapter with a brief discussion of the
forbidden plant, referring to Genesis.
• He is not speaking in metaphor: some plants are poisonous
and important to avoid. Others may cause undesirable
reactions in the body(medicinal plants) as well as alter
consciousness.
• Taste is generally the first clue: plants that shouldn‟t be eaten
have a bitter taste. Plants that are appropriate for consumption
like the apple have a pleasant taste.
• Pollan discusses the variety of reactions from noxious
chemicals: nicotine paralyzes pests, caffeine unhinge the
nervous system. Hallucinogens in plants like datura and
henbane can drive plant predator‟s insane.
• We can ask: why are we attracted to forbidden plants? We can
also ask: why do we desire to change our consciousness?
These two questions may explain our interest in marijuana.
11 Bertolino-Botany of Desire-Mosaic 852
12. Marijuana
• Until the government cracked down through the war on drugs, most American-smoked
marijuana was grown in Mexico.
• Americans who planted the seeds spouted plants poorly adapted for northern survival.
• Growers found one strain, indica, that flourished farther north. They hybridized it with
the another strain, sativa, This changed the genetic pattern in cannabis, by bringing
the two strains of cannabis together .
• Reagan‟s drug war pushed growers indoors, where they perfected the hybrid under
grow lights.
• In the ‟60s a neuroscientist identified THC, the chemical compound responsible for the
psychoactive effects of marijuana.
• In 1988,researcher discovered the brain‟s receptor for THC. Scientists explained the
receptors by theorizing that the brain must manufacture its own THC-like chemical.
• In ‟92 they found it: anandamide, the brain‟s own version of cannabis . Its effects
include pain relief, short-term memory loss, sedation, and mild cognitive impairment.
• There seems to be an evolutionary impulse for man to find chemicals to help him
endure his pain and forget misery, despite the cost to memory and motor skills.
12 Bertolino-Botany of Desire-Mosaic 852
16. Chapter 4: Desire: Control/Plant: The
Potato
• Much of this chapter deals with genetic engineering,
genetic modification and the company Monsanto.
• The potato is a staple of our diet. One can survive with
potatoes and milk.
• Our concern with control of the potato echoes our
need to control the environment for our benefit and our
survival. One could argue that it is a result of natural
selection.
• Yet our need to control our food supply for our survival
may backfire and lead to contamination of food by
tainting the nutrients and possibly causing long term
harm. If control is the concern, do people have the
right to refuse genetically modified food if they do not
trust it? 16 Bertolino-Botany of Desire-Mosaic 852
17. GMOS and the Potato
• Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which have had
their genome changed by scientists, are transforming the
food system.
• Already, tens of millions of acres of American farmland have
been planted in corn, soybeans, cotton and potatoes
genetically modified to produce their own insecticide (insect
killer) or to survive herbicide (plant killer).
• Industry touts GMOs as revolutionary enough to be
patented, yet they balk at requirements for labeling or further
study as they insist the changes are minimal.
• Genetic modification can add a gene or remove a gene from
a certain crop. The short and long-term effects of these
procedures are unknown. It also invites a question of ethics:
do we have the right to alter nature‟s design?
• Monsanto is the corporation that is known for genetic
modification of food.
17 Bertolino-Botany of Desire-Mosaic 852