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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Flashy plants draw outsize share of scientists’ attention

Blue-flowered plants get the most scientific love; those with green or brown flowers, not so much.
Gentiana ligustica plant species

No reason to feel blue: plants with azure blooms (such as Gentiana ligustica, above) get preferential treatment from researchers. Credit: M. Adamo et al./Nature Plants

Balconies and gardens are not the only places full of pretty flowers. An analysis of dozens of scholarly articles suggests that visually appealing plants are featured more often in scientific studies than are their nondescript relatives.

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Nature 593, 317 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01263-w

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