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SUMMARY:Plant power at the Botanic Garden - Plant scientists\, biochemists
 \, horticulturists and representatives from the plant science industries
DTSTART:20120519T093000Z
DTEND:20120519T150000Z
UID:TALK37864@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:5838
DESCRIPTION:To kill and to cure\, to make and to mend\, to bewitch and bew
 are\, discover The Power of Plants as the Botanic Garden hosts first Fasci
 nation of Plants Day on Saturday 19 May 2012\n\nPlants have a unique talen
 t: the ability to gather energy from the sun’s rays travelling through s
 pace to synthesise their own food. This is the foundation of all other lif
 e on earth\, from the oxygen in our lungs to the medicines that keep us he
 althy. They’re also some of the most stunning organisms on the planet\, 
 and the most varied\, adapted to every ecological niche across every conti
 nent.\n\nOn Saturday 19 May\, plant scientists\, biochemists\, horticultur
 ists and representatives from the plant science industries will gather at 
 the Botanic Garden to share with visitors the power of plants for the firs
 t international Fascination of Plants Day. Demonstrations and activities w
 ill run from 10.30am: science experiments will include balloons inflated b
 y gases released by fermenting plants\, children can dress up as bees to c
 ollect nectar from giant flowers to learn about pollination and there’ll
  be quizzes to match the product to the plant. Plus the chance to test a l
 aser remote sensing system – the latest tool in forest conservation.\n\n
 The living world is a rich source of chemicals with many medicines\, dyes\
 , flavourings and foodstuffs having their origins in compounds produced by
  plants. Ampika Ltd\, an ethical enterprise spinout of the University of C
 ambridge\, will be bringing a display about medicinal plants\, including a
  new anaesthetic gel derived from a plant found in the Peruvian rainforest
 \, which is currently under trial as a pain-relief treatment for toothache
 . The Botanic Garden and Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre will also 
 be launching a new Chemicals in Plants trail that identifies some of the p
 oisonous\, beneficial (and occasionally both!) chemicals produced by plant
 s.\n\nLaunched under the umbrella of the European Plant Science Organisati
 on\, the Fascination of Plants Day held at the Botanic Garden on 19 May wi
 ll be a day of interactive plant fun and demos that will also highlight th
 e critical role plant science plays in the social\, environmental and econ
 omic landscape now and into the future. The event is co-organised by the C
 ambridge Partnership for Plant Science\, a consortium that connects cuttin
 g-edge research undertaken in the region with the business community that 
 develops plants for application in food\, energy and other material uses. 
LOCATION:Cambridge Botanic Garden
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