{"id":24477,"date":"2016-11-04T09:53:46","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T16:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=24477"},"modified":"2016-11-04T09:53:46","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T16:53:46","slug":"friday-fun-who-knew-biochemistry-could-be-so-beautiful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2016\/11\/04\/friday-fun-who-knew-biochemistry-could-be-so-beautiful\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday Fun \u2013 Who Knew Biochemistry Could Be So Beautiful"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Fall-Foliage_Drone-Aerial_Lauren-Long_NY-Times.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"fall-foliage_drone-aerial_lauren-long_ny-times\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24478\" height=\"1152\" src=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Fall-Foliage_Drone-Aerial_Lauren-Long_NY-Times.jpg\" width=\"2048\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Fall-Foliage_Drone-Aerial_Lauren-Long_NY-Times.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Fall-Foliage_Drone-Aerial_Lauren-Long_NY-Times-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Fall-Foliage_Drone-Aerial_Lauren-Long_NY-Times-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Fall-Foliage_Drone-Aerial_Lauren-Long_NY-Times-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Fall-Foliage_Drone-Aerial_Lauren-Long_NY-Times-1024x576.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>[NOTE: If you recall back on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/2016\/10\/14\/friday-fun-mia-literally\/\" target=\"_blank\">October 14, <strong>&ldquo;Friday Fun&rdquo;<\/strong><\/a> was MIA.&nbsp; This is the story that I was planning on doing at that time &ndash; but other events interceded.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>[As you can see by this helpful <a href=\"https:\/\/smokymountains.com\/fall-foliage-map\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Fall Foliage Interactive Map<\/strong><\/a>, (using the sliding date bar at the bottom) most of the country is probably &ldquo;Past Peak&rdquo; &ndash; but since Fall is my favorite time of year, I&rsquo;m redoing it.]<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Seems logical that the best way to begin an overview of the story behind fall&rsquo;s phantasmagorical foliage fling is with &hellip; well, an <strong><em>overview<\/em><\/strong> of the vast verdant vegetation of the vales and vistas of Vermont.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"695\" height=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nvt3G0Th8SM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:22px;\"><span style=\"color:#FF0000;\"><strong>So Let&rsquo;s Revisit Why Leaves Change Their Colors<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>We all probably recall some grade school science about leaves and chlorophyll and color &ndash; but let&rsquo;s take a little closer look.<\/p>\n<p>While both humans and trees enjoy eating, trees are unique in that they&rsquo;re actually able to manufacture their own food, courtesy of <strong><em>photosynthesis<\/em><\/strong>.&nbsp; <em>(But being able to make your own food supply makes me wonder why we don&rsquo;t see more fat trees.&nbsp; I mean, come on &hellip;)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Chlorophyll<\/em><\/strong> is the green pigmented chemical in leaves that uses the energy provided by the sun to convert water from the trees&rsquo; roots and carbon dioxide from the air into sugars and starches that the tree stores as nutrients &ndash; and with oxygen as a by-product.&nbsp; (You paying attention to this, Sen. <em>&ldquo;Global-Warming-Is-A-Hoax&rdquo;<\/em> Inhofe?)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Photosynthesis_Chlorophyll_Leaf.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"photosynthesis_chlorophyll_leaf\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24479\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Photosynthesis_Chlorophyll_Leaf.jpg\" width=\"960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Photosynthesis_Chlorophyll_Leaf.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Photosynthesis_Chlorophyll_Leaf-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Photosynthesis_Chlorophyll_Leaf-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Photosynthesis_Chlorophyll_Leaf-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>But the chlorophyll that gives trees their green is not the only colored pigment present all the time in leaves.&nbsp; Working just as hard in the leaves are the <strong><em>carotene<\/em><\/strong> and <strong><em>xanthophyll<\/em><\/strong> chemical pigments &ndash; they&rsquo;re just masked by the overpowering chlorophyll.<\/p>\n<p>But with the coming of autumn, as daylight hours shorten and temperatures cool down, the veins that carry fluids into and out of the leaf gradually become closed off by a layer of special <strong><em>cork cells<\/em><\/strong> that forms at the base of each leaf. &nbsp;As this cork layer develops, water and mineral intake into the leaf becomes diminished, and so chlorophyll begins to decrease.<\/p>\n<p>These <strong><em>carotenoids<\/em><\/strong> give their characteristic oranges and yellows to carrots, corn, canaries, and daffodils &ndash; along with egg yolks, rutabagas, buttercups, and bananas.&nbsp; And they account as the predominant color in about 15-30% of our tree species &ndash; typically the hardwood species of hickories, ash, maple, yellow poplar, aspen, birch, black cherry, sycamore, cottonwood, sassafras, and alder.<\/p>\n<p>But some colors &ndash; specifically the reds and purples of <strong><em>anthocyanin<\/em><\/strong> &ndash; have <em><u>not<\/u><\/em> been present all along, but just hidden by the chlorophyll like carotene and xanthophyll.&nbsp; The anthocyanins are created brand new &ndash; &nbsp;just for autumn&rsquo;s fall foliage!<\/p>\n<p>In the summer, phosphate levels in the leaves are elevated, as they are used to breakdown the sugars for energy that were produced by chlorophyll.&nbsp; But come fall, phosphate (as well as other chemicals and nutrients) move out of the leaf itself and into the stem.&nbsp; So sugar-breakdown chemisty changes, which leads to the production of anthocyanin pigments.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And the brighter the sunlight during this period, the greater the production of anthocyanins &ndash; and the more brilliant the resulting reds and purples. This more-or-less direct proportion to sunlight exposure explains why the periphery of some hardwood trees are bright red, while the foliage lower down and inside are the more typical oranges and yellows.<\/p>\n<p>Anthocyanins also account for the coloring of cranberries, red apples, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and plums.&nbsp; They are present in only about 10% of hardwood species &ndash; namely, the maples, oaks, sourwood, sweetgums, dogwoods, tupelos, cherry trees and persimmons.&nbsp; But in certain lucky areas &mdash; most famously New England &mdash; up to 70% of tree species may produce the anthocyanin pigment.<\/p>\n<p>Time to enjoy some of my favorite photos of the fantasia of Fall &hellip;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FallFenceMcCormick.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"fallfencemccormick\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24480\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FallFenceMcCormick.jpg\" width=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FallFenceMcCormick.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FallFenceMcCormick-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FallFenceMcCormick-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FallLakeMountainsTatooshGOOD.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"falllakemountainstatooshgood\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24484\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FallLakeMountainsTatooshGOOD.jpg\" width=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FallLakeMountainsTatooshGOOD.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FallLakeMountainsTatooshGOOD-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/FallLakeMountainsTatooshGOOD-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/99_FallFirstSnowGOOD.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"99_fallfirstsnowgood\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24485\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/99_FallFirstSnowGOOD.jpg\" width=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/99_FallFirstSnowGOOD.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/99_FallFirstSnowGOOD-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/99_FallFirstSnowGOOD-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/8_FallAspensTetonMountainsGOOD.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"8_fallaspenstetonmountainsgood\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24486\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/8_FallAspensTetonMountainsGOOD.jpg\" width=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/8_FallAspensTetonMountainsGOOD.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/8_FallAspensTetonMountainsGOOD-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/8_FallAspensTetonMountainsGOOD-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/2_FallCliff_GOOD.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"2_fallcliff_good\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24487\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/2_FallCliff_GOOD.jpg\" width=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/2_FallCliff_GOOD.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/2_FallCliff_GOOD-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/2_FallCliff_GOOD-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Fall_ChurchMaplesMountains.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"fall_churchmaplesmountains\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24488\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Fall_ChurchMaplesMountains.jpg\" width=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Fall_ChurchMaplesMountains.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Fall_ChurchMaplesMountains-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Fall_ChurchMaplesMountains-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And if you&rsquo;re as lucky as this little guy to enjoy a snack while leaf-peeping, you may also be literally bowled over by the beauty of autumn&rsquo;s Fall foliage &#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Squirrel_Nut_Flips_Delicious.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"squirrel_nut_flips_delicious\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24489\" height=\"404\" src=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Squirrel_Nut_Flips_Delicious.gif\" width=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Squirrel_Nut_Flips_Delicious.gif 720w, https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Squirrel_Nut_Flips_Delicious-300x168.gif 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; [NOTE: If you recall back on October 14, &ldquo;Friday Fun&rdquo; was MIA.&nbsp; This is the story that I was planning on doing at that time &ndash; but other events interceded. [As you can see by this helpful Fall Foliage Interactive Map, (using the sliding date bar at the bottom) most of the country is <a href='https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2016\/11\/04\/friday-fun-who-knew-biochemistry-could-be-so-beautiful\/' class='excerpt-more'>[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","category-5-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24477\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}