Just five days ago huge numbers of people patronised florists shops to buy traditional red roses for Valentine's Day. The roses on sale were magnificent - buds just beginning to open and offering the promise of a bright display for days to come.
That just did not happen. The roses on display on Valentine's day looked just the same on each of the following days - and by day five were clearly dying.
Science had come to the aid of the rose growers. Obviously the need to have huge quantities of red roses ready for sale on a single day of the year posed a challenge. Science met that challenge by carefully engineering the genome of the rose so that it reaches an acceptable stage of bloom - and stops there indefinitely.
The same phenomenon is experienced at " Mother's Day ". There was a problem finding enough of the traditional white Chrysanthemums at peak to meet demand. Again science altered the ageing process, and at the same time other coloured flowers became popular due to clever advertising.
Flowers are not the only victims of science. Remember the proud claims that the humble tomato had been genetically altered to achieve firmer flesh - and a much longer shelf life ? The only problem was that it had no taste and was similar to eating wet cardboard !
We can expect more of the same in the future. Science has learned how to genetically re-engineer the botanical world to meet the demands of producers and the retail trade. What you get will look good, but don't expect it to last - nor to have the same taste as the product it replaces !
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