Jill Farrant facts for kids
Jill Farrant (born 5 December, 1960 in Modimolle) is a famous professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She is a top expert on special plants called resurrection plants. These amazing plants can look completely dry and dead, but they "come back to life" when they get water again.
Amazing Plant Research
Professor Farrant studies how certain plants can live for a very long time without water. She explains that all plants have special genes that help them survive drying out. Most plants only use these genes when they make seeds. But resurrection plants can turn these genes on in their leaves and roots whenever there is a drought.
Her main goal is to find ways to create crops that can grow even when there is not much water. This would help feed people in dry areas, especially in Africa. Her research might also help with medicines. Professor Farrant believes that food crops that can survive long dry periods will become very important as climate change causes more droughts.
She is currently looking into a plant called eragrostis tef. This is a type of grass. Its seeds are a healthy food in Ethiopia. It is also related to a resurrection grass that can handle dry conditions. Professor Farrant thinks we can breed new crops from the Eragrostis family that can survive drought. This would be like how people have created oats, corn, and wheat over many years.
Early Life and Inspiration
Jill Farrant became interested in resurrection plants when she was a child. She saw a "dead" plant come back to life after it rained. When she was nine years old in 1970, she wrote in her diary, "The ded [sic] plant on the rocks was alive but Dad wouldn't believe me." This early experience sparked her lifelong interest in these unique plants.
Awards and Recognition
Professor Farrant has received many important awards for her work.
- In 2008, she won the SAAB Silver Medal for Excellence in Botany.
- She was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Southern Africa. She also became a Fellow of the University of Cape Town.
- In 2010, she received an award from the Department of Science and Technology. This was for being a very distinguished woman scientist.
- She was also the President of the South African Association of Botanists from 2009 to 2010.
- In 2010, Professor Farrant was given the €100,000 Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award. This was for her important research on resurrection plants.
- In 2012, she received the L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards For Women in Science. This award also came with a USD $100,000 prize.
See also
In Spanish: Jill Farrant para niños
