At COP30, currently underway in Belém, Brazil, world leaders are grappling with finding ways to beat the growing heat. But the discussions are almost entirely about humans. Does anyone spare a thought for plants?

Well, yes. Nature does.

Scientists have discovered that some plants have evolved a clever defence mechanism against heat stress. It may not be a fancy air-conditioner, but it certainly helps them survive under scorching conditions.

Debabrata Laha of the Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, working with Henning Jessen’s group at the University of Freiburg, Germany, studied a small flowering plant, Arabidopsis thaliana — a favourite of plant researchers.

The researchers found a molecule called 4/6-InsP7 that acts like a chemical messenger, helping plants sense and respond to heat.

This messenger is produced by two special enzymes, AtIPK-alpha and AtIPK-beta, which switch on when the plant is under thermal stress. These enzymes generate 4/6-InsP7, which in turn activates genes that help the plant tolerate high temperatures.

In their paper, published in PLOS Genetics, the researchers note that even one of the world’s oldest plants — the humble liverwort — has a similar system. Which means this molecular trick dates back hundreds of millions of years, to when plants first colonised land and faced harsh, unpredictable climates.

As heatwaves become the new normal, scientists believe this discovery could pave the way for heat-resilient crops, reducing yield losses in a warming world.

The lesson is clear: when it comes to solving humanity’s gravest, self-made problems, look to Nature.

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Published on November 17, 2025