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Article: Red, red leaves. (Science And Environment).(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The American Enterprise
- Article date:
- January 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The American Enterprise, a national magazine of politics, business and culture (TEAmag.com). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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David Lee and Kevin Gould, "Why Leaves Turn Red," in American Scientist, November/December 2002 (americanscientist.org)
Each fall, leaves turn bright red on many trees. Despite years of research, scientists still don't know exactly why. Florida International University professor David Lee and University of Aukland (New Zealand) researcher Kevin Gould, however, believe that a red pigment called anthocyanin bears much of the responsibility.
Anthocyanin protects leaves in two ways: first, as an antioxidant, it neutralizes free radicals that wreak havoc on the life processes within leaves if left unchecked. More important, anthocyanin shields ...