You'll never think of your popcorn the same way: In its previous
life, it could have come from an altruistic ear of corn with
strong family bonds. A new University of Colorado-led study
suggests that plants have the capability to be altruistic. (In
animals, scientists have long recognized the trait, which makes
for cute Internet memes -- dogs caring for orphaned kittens or
dolphins helping nudge their injured mates to the surface). For
the newly published study, CU researchers studied corn, in which
each fertilized seed contained two "siblings" -- an embryo and a
corresponding bit of tissue known as endosperm that feeds the
embryo as the seed grows. They compared the growth and behavior
of the embryos and endosperm in seeds sharing the same "mother"
and "father" plants with those that had genetically different
parents. The results showed that embryos with the same mother
and father as the endosperm in their seed weighed significantly
more than those with the same mother but a different father,
said Pamela Dig