Birger Lindberg Møller is DNF's 'Scientist of the Month'

The NGO Danish Science Communication names Birger Lindberg Møller, Head of Center for Synthetic Biology, as 'Scientist of the Month' in their April newsletter.

Each month, in conjunction with their mission to create enthusiasm for science among children and teenagers, the Danish Science Communication selects an inspirational scientist and interviews them about their current resarch and 'everything that they do not know'.

As joint acting head of Copenhagen Plant Science Center, Birger Lindberg Møller was asked, amongst other things, whether plants are at times cleverer than humans.

"Absolutely! A plant must make do with the water that is available and it can stand up without a skeleton because each plant cell is wrapped in a complex cell wall. They also have an amazing ability to produce a myriad of bioactive substances. ALL these things the plant makes itself. There are lots of things that plants can do that people cannot"

He goes on to explain that it is for these reasons that plants are of such scientific importance. 

"We will need plants for multiple purposes: food, biomass, bio-energy, pharmaceuticals etc. For example, we have ideas on how to get the plants cell walls to produce biomass that is as efficient a fuel as oil. However, we need new facilities to exploit this, which is where the new Copenhagen Plant Science Centre comes into play” says Birger Lindberg Møller.

Read the full article as a PDF here (in Danish)