[NEWS]
As plants found their way onto land in the form of mosses far back in Earth's history, they were reliant on moist environments at first. But being confronted with occasional dry periods, they figured out how to survive in a desiccated state. As ferns then entered the stage of life, they developed an impermeable waxy covering. Pores in the leaves soon followed allowing the plant to exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen with the environment. These pores close during dry conditi…