““These weightless plants were placed on a large rotating centrifuge that mimicked gravitation, much as Knight's waterwheel had years and years earlier. The plants could be continuously monitored by a camera while they rotated. Very soon after feeling the g-force, the plants started moving in more exaggerated circles. Both the size and the speed of the movements of the spinning plants were similar to those detected on the arabidopsis plants grown on Earth. This revealed that gravity is not necessary for the movements, but rather modulates and amplifies the endogenous movements in the plant. Darwin was correct: as far as we know, circumnutation is a built-in behavior of plants, but this behavior needs gravity to reach its full expression.””
