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Global Voices of Science

An essay series celebrating the 125th anniversary of Science Magazine

January Essay

Protector of the Seeds: Seminal Reflections from Southern Africa

Patricia Berjak, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Patricia Berjak, author of this month's essay, is a professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa and has been studying seeds and seed storage for over 30 years. A biochemist turned cell biologist, she is a recipient of the 2004 Distinguished Scientists Award administered by the South African Department of Science and Technology and was recently inducted as a Fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences.

In Africa, "concerns about food security . . . make the scientific study of seeds and their storage an imperative."

Read the full essay by Patricia Berjak

Interactive Feature

Science, Seeds, and South Africa

Science, seeds, and South Africa

As Dr. Berjak discusses in her essay, saving seeds may be the key to preserving South Africa's most valuable and sought-after plants. This online slide show highlights the some of the challenges and successes of this growing enterprise, within the larger context of doing science in South Africa.

Also of 125th Anniversary interest on Science Online:

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