ScienceIQ.com

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon is a small national park in southwestern Utah. Named after the Mormon Pioneer Ebenezer Bryce, Bryce Canyon became a national park in 1924. ...

Continue reading...

BryceCanyon
Biology

Which Came First? The Words or the Melody?

There's good evidence that we're born into the world with an innate understanding of music, and a natural response to it. You don't need to be a child psychologist to know that babies don't have to be ... Continue reading

WordsMelody
Biology

Is Your Immune System Educated?

When spring comes, do you hide indoors because your eyes and nose water, and you can't stop sneezing? Do cats or dogs cause you the same symptoms? Have you wondered why you have allergies and other ... Continue reading

ImmuneSystem
Biology

Why Do Leaves Change Color In The Fall?

Every fall the leaves of many trees turn magnificent colors. One of the great benefits of the season is looking at the fall foliage, with its bright reds, oranges and purples, before the leaves fall ... Continue reading

WhyDoLeavesChangeColorInTheFall
Biology

Splitting Hairs

Pluck a single strand of hair from your head and you've lost what scientists call the hair shaft. The shaft is made of three layers, each inside the other. The outer casing is the cuticle. Under an ... Continue reading

SplittingHairs

It All Started With The Colwart

ItAllStartedWithTheColwartDo you like cabbage. No? How about broccoli? Perhaps you crave brussel sprouts. Did you know that all these vegetables, plus kohlrabi, kale, cauliflower and collard greens, trace their origins from the plant Brassica oleracea? Brassica oleracea, commonly called colwart, of the cruciferae/brassicacae or mustard family, was originally cultivated thousands of years ago along the coast of Europe. It is perhaps the most striking example of selective cultivation, (choosing the seeds of plants that have the characteristics early cultivators wanted to emphasize) by early Europeans. The colewart was a smallish, leafy plant, with none of the features we recognize in this modern family of vegetables. Plant scientists believe that the first focus of these early farmers was the leaves of the colewart. By selectively choosing plants with the biggest leaves, and harvesting and cultivating their seeds, after hundreds of years, kale was born.

That was fine for some, but others wanted more flavorful and smaller leaves. So another part of the plant was emphasized, resulting in a very dense bunch of leaves at the center of the plant, growing into a head, what we know as a head of cabbage. But ancient farmers didn’t stop there. Create a plant with big fat stems and you have kohlrabi. The Romans enlarged the stems and flower buds, but kept the buds tightly closed, and the result was broccoli. Do the same but get rid of the chlorophyll and other Europeans grew cauliflower. Beef up the buds and get tiny cabbages on a stalk, what we know as brussel sprouts. All from a single plant ancestor. All modern members of the Brassica family share common traits. They are low in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals.

Also, recent studies have pointed to the brassicacae as containing cancer-fighting compounds and anti-oxidants such as sulphur-containing glucosinolates. These sulforaphane compounds are thought to block the development of cancer cells while stimulating the body’s own production of detoxifying enzymes. And it’s sulphur that gives these vegetables their distinct hot and pungent smell and taste. So when it comes to cruciferae, the adage may well be, ‘if it smells bad, it’s good for you.’ This remarkable group of vegetables promotes health, offers a variety of tastes and was perfected long before modern farming methods, genetically altered plants, or pesticides came along. So next time you sit down for, cabbage, I mean broccoli, or was that kale. Never mind, you know what I mean.