How does a plant tell up from down? Since it must send its roots down and its shoots up in order to get the essential materials needed for survival, a plant must know how to do it right the first time. There is no second chance. God’s plan for plants is unique.
The normally accepted theory holds that starch grains formed in plant cells to store energy, tell up from down by falling to the bottom of the cell. This does not answer the question because some plants do not have starch grains! So how do these plants tell the difference?
New research has shown that there may be another explanation for the mechanism God has given plants. It appears that the cell contents (cytoplasm) as it weighs down on protein tethers attached to the cell wall may play a part. These tethers are responsible for opening and closing channels that allow calcium ions to enter and leave. The calcium in turn affects how the plant cells grow. But here the idea breaks down, there are still many unanswered questions about how this complex relationship affects the individual root and stem cells.
The smallest details about God’s creation marvel and fascinate students of science. Explaining how these mechanisms came into being without an intelligence is impossible. Indeed the “firmament showeth his handiwork.”
