The beauty of pollen is nothing to sneeze at
May 21, 2013
907-474-7541
5/22/13
While it鈥檚 kind of weird to think about pollen as art, pollen grains, when viewed on a microscopic scale, look like abstract sculptures where form, color and lines create whimsical patterns and textures.
Since the word 鈥減ollen鈥 usually conjures up images of runny noses and allergy medicine commercials, 性欲社 biology professor Christa Mulder and her graduate student Katie Spellman wanted people to see a different side of pollen. They will project magnified pollen grains onto screens and lead a discussion at the College Coffeehouse from 7 - 8 p.m. Thursday, May 23. All pollen will be from Alaska flowers and carefully contained on slides so no one has to worry about sniffing in or sneezing out the art.
鈥淧ollen is just beautiful,鈥 said Mulder who is the chair of the at the . 鈥淭hey鈥檝e got mountains, they鈥檝e got dimples and they鈥檝e got different colors. Some fluoresce, some don鈥檛. They鈥檙e just as variable as flowers, and people love flowers.鈥濃
Mulder says pollen from different plant species have their own 鈥渓ook鈥 so that plants can recognize pollen from their own kind.
Pollen grains produce male sperm and often travel via water, wind and insects to other plants. Since pollen grains from many different species can land on just one flower, a flower has got to know its pollen if procreation is going to happen. How a pollen grain travels also affects its shape. Pollen grains that glide on wind are often small and smooth and can cause allergies, while pollen grains that hitch a free ride from an insect are usually larger with complex surfaces so they stick.
Hands-on activities at the program and microscopes to view pollen will be available. People can continue learning after their coffee cups run empty. Mulder and Spellman are hoping the program entices people to help out with their research on pollination.
This talk is hosted by CNSM and is part of the Colors of Nature Science Caf茅 series. The program brings scientists to local cafes to talk about the art in their science. For more info go to or call 907-474-7608.