The researchers explained that by absorbing water inside the roots, without damaging the sample, virtually
"To observe the absorption of water by the livingplants without damaging them, we applied a sensitive method of optical microscopy based on a laser to see the movement of water inside living roots non-invasively. This has never been done before, ”the researchers noted.
They noted that at the heart of the process, thanks towhat plants are capable of producing is how well they can absorb and control fluids. Water plays an important role as a solvent for nutrients, minerals and other biomolecules in plant tissues. Scientists have developed a way to observe this process at the level of individual cells. They can now see the water rise up inside the root and move through the rest of the plants and trees.
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Using a gentle laser, new technologyimaging, based on the Nobel Prize-winning Raman spectroscopy method, the researchers measured the movement of water up the root system at the cellular level and ran a mathematical model to explain and quantify this process.
The researchers used "heavy" water, oxidedeuterium, which contains an extra neutron in the nucleus of each hydrogen atom. By scanning a line across the root with a laser while the plant was sawing, water could be seen moving through the tip of the root.
When developing a method, researchersfocused on plant cells, which are about 10 times larger than human cells and therefore easier to observe. The research team is now transferring these same techniques to human cells in order to observe the exact same processes on an even smaller scale.
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