Xray analysis reveals the inner life of leaves while advancing engineering efforts to reduce 'crop sweat'
Aug 11, 2026
In the Midwestern summer, humans and plants have to breathe through the heat and humidity. Researchers hope that a retooled crop plant—one with an improved ventilation system within its leaves—could thrive while avoiding drought stress by reducing "crop sweat." Thanks to next-generation imaging
technology powered by Argonne National Laboratory's particle collider beamline, a team of scientists now has precise schematics of the leaf's interior and can refine approaches to breeding hardier crop plants. ...read more read less