Schaft of the past: US company brings extinct plants back!

Schaft of the past: US company brings extinct plants back!

An innovative initiative for reconstruction of lost fragrances from the plant world was recently launched by the US company Future Society in cooperation with Harvard University Herbaria and Ginkgo Biowork. The aim of this project is to create perfumes from extinct plants. Loud KN-Online DNA was sequenced by over 150 years old preserved plant samples to reconstruct the fragrance molecules contained therein.

The Herbaria, which houses more than five million botanical copies, provides the basis for this fascinating project. Six extinct plant species have already been implemented in fragrances. An outstanding example is Orbexilum Stipulatum, a plant that was recently bloomed in 1881 and died out by the disappearance of bison and flooding. Perf parented Olivia Jan created a fragrance called "Grassland Opera", which was inspired by this plant.

The creative behind the fragrances

The topic of extinct plants receives an additional dimension through climate change. Researchers: Inside the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven have found in their analyzes that around 600 plant species have been extinct since the middle of the 18th century. These findings, which were published in the Nature Communications journal, show that the consequences of human action will only be fully visible in a few hundred years, as Reiffreporter

climate change and species death

climate change affects the biological diversity. Studies show that not only plants, but also numerous animals are threatened by the global changes. An investigation by the WWF entitled "Wildlife in A Warming World" analyzes the effects of climate change on almost 80,000 animal and plant species in different regions, including the Amazon rainforest and the Congo basin. The scenarios in which the temperatures could increase by up to 4.5 degrees Celsius are particularly alarming, which would have dramatic consequences for the environment and biodiversity, such as wwf In view of these serious challenges, Future Society's project shows how deeply rooted connections to past plants and the research of their fragrances can help us understand the present and future better and possibly also to influence. It remains to be hoped that the return of these fragrances will not only raise memories, but also to raise awareness of the necessary protection of our natural resources.