The Science of Fruit and Seeds

That fruit you're eating is a swollen plant ovary. After a flower gets pollinated,

its ovary develops into a fruit, and the ovules inside become the seeds. This is the genius

of flowering plants, or Angiosperms. They wrap their seeds in a tasty package so animals

will eat them and spread the seeds far away. Their older cousins, the Gymnosperms

like pine trees, have "naked seeds" just sitting on a cone. Both plant types

rely on the seed, which is a brilliant survival pod. It protects the baby plant embryo,

gives it a packed lunch, and can wait for years to grow.