In 2005, researchers were able to successfully germinate seeds from a Judean date palm tree recovered in archaeological excavations in Israel, which was carbon dated to be 2000 years old. The resulting plant was named “Methuselah,” after the Bible’s oldest man; it holds the record for the oldest viable seed.
Seed dormancy is an important part of a plant’s life cycle, increasing the chance that seeds germinate during a time of year favorable for growth and reproduction. In this talk, Dr. Blohm, assistant professor of biology at Loyola, will discuss how dormancy is maintained, how it is broken, and how the specific mechanisms impact the growth of native and invasive species.
Maren Blohm, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, teaches genetics, botany, and plant physiology in her courses, where she encourages her students to ask research questions. Blohm, who grew up in Orem, Utah, has taught at Loyola since 2006. Dr. Blohm earned her bachelor’s degree in biology education with an emphasis on botany from Brigham Young University and her Master of Science and Ph.D. in Plant Sciences from the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on how plants respond to stress, such as water availability and water quality, and environmental stresses including heavy metals and climate change.
