The Eight O’Clock
News November 2018
Follow the Light Sunflowers turn according to the position of the sun, in other words, they ‘chase the light’. You might already know this, but there is another fact that you probably do not know! Have you ever wondered what happens on cloudy, rainy days when the sun is completely covered by clouds? This is an interesting question, isn’t it? Perhaps you think the sunflower withers or turns its head towards the ground. Is this what crossed your mind? Well, that’s incorrect! This is what happens: They turn towards each other to share their energy. Nature’s perfection is amazing; now let’s apply this reflection to our lives. We all want this light and seek it in different ways: in our family, friends, religion, work and so on. But there are always going to be cloudy days, gloomy days, because there is no escaping them! When this happens, most people become overwhelmed, low-spirited, and the most vulnerable ones, sometimes, become depressed. How about following the example of the beautiful sunflowers supporting and empowering each other. God has so much to teach us through nature. Scientists have answered a burning question central to the charm of sunflowers: Why do young flowers move their blooms to always face the sun over the course of a day? A young flower faces east at dawn and greets the sun, then slowly turns west as the sun moves across the sky. During the night, it slowly turns back east to begin the cycle again. Researchers tied plants up so they couldn't move or turned them away from the sun—and they found those flowers eventually had decreased biomass and less leaf area than flowers that could move with the sun. They also compared mature flowers facing east with those they turned to face west, and found that the eastfacing blooms attracted five times as many helpful November 2018 Eight O’Clock News
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pollinators. That's because the east-facing flowers heat up faster. And, bees like warm flowers. ‘Just like people, plants rely on the daily rhythms of day and night to function’: Anne Sylvester, director of the National Science Foundation's Plant Genome Research Program, said in a press release. ‘Sunflowers, like solar panel arrays, follow the sun from east to west’. - Sent in by Belle Divaris
* Psalm 89:15 New Living Translation: Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of Your presence, LORD. * John 8:12 English Standard Version: Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” * 1 John 1:7 English Standard Version: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.