植物科学是当今最相关的科学学科之一。想一想人类面临的两个最重要的问题：全球变暖和对化石燃料的依赖。植物科学家正在使用各种方法来解决这两个问题-从植物起源的生物燃料生产到碳固存中植物的使用。<br> <br>动物和人类完全依赖植物，而不仅仅是食物。如今，植物科学已经消除了局限于农业和粮食生产的经典障碍。随着现代生物技术的出现，植物被用于净化土地和空气，生产工业产品，设计分子，生物制药和生物燃料。设计工厂正在生产可生物降解的塑料，新型健康糖和抗癌药物。<br> <br>植物科学家需要了解植物如何工作，从分子到
Plant sciences are among the most relevant scientific disciplines today. Think about two of the most important problems facing humankind: global warming and dependency on fossil fuels. Using a variety of approaches, plant scientists are addressing both problems - from the production of biofuels from plant origin to the use of plants in carbon sequestration.<br><br>Animals and humans depend utterly on plants, and not only for food. Today, plant science has demolished the classic barriers of being confined to farm and food production. With the advent of modern biotechnology, plants are being used to decontaminate land and air, produce industrial products, designer molecules, biopharmaceuticals and biofuels. Designer plants are producing biodegradable plastics, new healthier sugars and anti-cancer drugs.<br><br>Plant scientists need to understand how plants work, from molecules to ecosystems to improve the production of food, pharmaceuticals and timber, to control diseases, pests and noxious weeds, to allow them to cope with drought, salinity and pollutants and to design new plants for innovative purposes such as biofactories.