When a gust of wind plucks a seed from the plant’s fuzzy head, a fluffy structure called the pappus keeps the seed aloft before it ultimately falls to the ground. The structure, which extends ...

Flower power: EPFL’s Pier Giuseppe Ledda (left) and François Gallaire with pappus simulations (Courtesy: Alain Herzog/EPFL) Scientists in Switzerland, the Netherlands and Italy have explained why the ...

The distances are achieved because of what the researchers call "the separated vortex ring" which sees the seed bristles, collectively called the pappus, create ring-shaped air bubbles.