Lazarus Biology

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I’ve been exploring Resurrection Biology (or “Lazarus” Biology) - a hip-sounding pop-science label for reviving organisms from dormancy. This isn’t new - viable seeds have been germinated after thousands of years - but defining the “form” helps to concretize the concept.

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A good example of this is the resurrection plant, a desert specialist capable of surviving near total desiccation for years.

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Beyond physical desiccation, chemical dormancy can also be broken. Revitalizing old seeds using Gibberellic Acid (GA3) triggers germination by mimicking the plant’s natural growth signals.

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The most interesting part about this is not the chemical itself but its discovery. It starts in the 1930s with a fungal disease affecting rice plants in Japan, colloquially known as Foolish Seedling Disease. The fungus, Gibberella fujikuroi, induces an overproduction of gibberellic acid in the host - causing it to grow excessively tall, spindly, and weak.

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While a foolish trait for a rice farmer, it is a useful tool for horticulturists. My Mimosa pudica seeds are likely non-viable now, but understanding the phytohormone logic is vital for future micropropagation experiments.