Fall foliage is still a mystery: Why do some leaves turn red?
Short Wave · NPR
November 7, 202513m 59s
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Show Notes
Scientists know why leaves turn yellow in the fall: Chlorophyll breaks down, revealing the yellow pigment that was there all along. But red? Red is a different story altogether. Leaves have to make a new pigment to turn red. Why would a dying leaf do that? Scientists don’t really know. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce reports on the leading hypotheses out there.
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Interested in more seasonal science? Email us your ideas at [email protected].
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Read more of Nell's reporting on this topic.
Interested in more seasonal science? Email us your ideas at [email protected].
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy