A development of "great impact" has been made in the world of flowers—specifically among chrysanthemums, which researchers have just turned a true-blue hue for the first time, per Science.
The magazine explains that vibrant blue flowers are hard to find in nature—only a few species exist, and others we think are blue are really more purple or violet.
Scientists have long tried to manufacture blue versions of flowers, but the complexities of plant pigmentation have stymied them: For a flower to "turn" blue, pigment molecules called anthocyanins have to have just the right amount of sugar or other atoms, and the plant cells have to offer just the right conditions. A Cornell scientist tells Science News that such a flower is the "Holy Grail," while a University of Florida plant biotechnologist says previous efforts have "never worked perfectly."
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