How allergens in pollen help plants do more than make you sneeze

Clouds of the grains may be easy to hate, but they’re crucial for plant health

pollen

POOF! During allergy season, it’s hard not to take those puffs of pollen as a personal affront, but researchers are sorting out what plants get from their annoying-to-humans compounds.

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“Are plants trying to kill us?” allergy sufferers often ask Deborah Devis.