Suntory Creates Mythical Blue (Or, Um, Lavender-ish) Rose
Suntory Applause Blue Rose Dan Nosowitz In literature and folklore (and video games, sometimes), the blue rose signifies the impossible, or mystery, or the unquenchable. It's not much of a leap, really; roses are ubiquitous, but due to a genetic barrier, a blue rose is naturally impossible. Of course, there's no particular reason to do what that meddling bully nature wants us to do, so a Japanese company has genetically modified a rose to create...well, it's not quite blue, but it's certainly closer than any previous effort. Suntory, a Japanese company best known for its alcoholic beverages, has genetically modified a rose to give it an all-over color probably best described as lavender. The problem: roses lack a natural plant pigment known as delphinidin, which gives certain types of flowers, like geraniums and pansies, a blue color. Roses do not naturally have this pigment, but in 2004, Suntory finally managed to...