"<strong>Exploring wind-driven pollen transport<\/strong> Simulating the detachment and dispersion of pollen around an oak tree. (Courtesy: Dbouk <em>et al.<\/em>)" Exploring wind-driven pollen transport Simulating the detachment and dispersion of pollen around an oak tree. (Courtesy: Dbouk et al. ) Researchers in France have developed a novel method to investigate how pollen is dispersed from trees when the wind blows – paving the way for new approaches to urban planning that could help alleviate the symptoms of seasonal hay fever. A project team headed up at the University of Rouen Normandy has discovered for the first time that different trees can exhibit different local dynamics for the transport of pollen grains – for example, when pollen is dispersed by wind – and that that this behaviour depends on the local detachment force of pollen grains occurring at the scale of each flower inside the tree.…