RevBio

That's my favorite part about this project - It's just pretty. Who wouldn't want a flower that changed color? Imagine it hanging out in your planter, and in the morning it's red, in the evening it's blue. Or maybe it goes from pink to purple if you like those colors better! Or we end up engineering it so a white rim around the flower appears at noon.

We're working in petunias, which already come in a crazy variety of color - they've been hybridized over and over again for a very long time and the bees seem to do okay with them.

Sure, there are really important problems that people are tackling with this technology. But what is it that you hear in the news and see on your facebook feed? You see people talking about how GM crops are going to stop evolution, or they'll poison us, or they'll give us all cancer. The important problems like better crops that are drought and flood tolerant, are fungus and pest resistant, those can't be brought out into the market until people accept the technology fully.

This project is a 'waste of time' scientifically in that there isn't going to be any new basic research completed. but it is going to have a huge impact on the public perception of what a GMO is and can be.

Also, a bit unrelated, but there is evidence that the European Honeybee colony collapse disorder is linked to pesticide use. recent paper been in the news a bit lately. Pretty interesting

That might actually be possible! Just replied to the comment above you.

Keira: So I really like pattern formation and a polka dot flower is one of my secret goals. It requires some fancier science than the color changing flower though so it will probably take longer and is more of a research project. But yes, polka dots are on my list at least :)