As kids, we all learnt at school how plants breathe through tiny pores on their leaves called stomata. However, up until now, we never really saw the plants around us actually breathing but in a groundbreaking discovery, scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have created a tool through which plants can be seen in the respiration process in real time.
Device reveals breathing process
The device 'Stomata In-Sight' reveals what happens at the microscopic level through pore openings called stomata (also known as plant "mouths") to allow for the exchange of carbon dioxide, water vapour and oxygen gases in plant tissues.
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When stomata are open or closed, they balance out the amount of gaseous exchange for photosynthesis to the evaporation of water vapour (transpiration) and helps plants respond to heat, drought and many other types of stressors in their environments.
Moment captured live
The researchers also captured the breathing process live. Using a video camera, the team recorded the dynamic movements of gas molecules as plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air, releasing both oxygen and water as photosynthesis takes place.
Seeing Plants Breathe
— Brian Roemmele (@BrianRoemmele) January 15, 2026
Researchers have achieved a breakthrough in plant biology by developing a way to watch plants
"breathe" in real time.
While we have known for centuries that plants exchange gases through microscopic pores called stomata, we have never before been able to… pic.twitter.com/j62H8y6mtk
Using the most sophisticated imaging methods and sensors allowed the team to monitor very small changes within the cellular structure of the plant through the opening and closing of its stomata. The data collected provides information regarding how a plant grows, uses water effectively, adapts to its environment and maintains a balance within its cells.
'Device took nearly five years to develop'
The system was developed through nearly five years of continuous improvement and overcoming obstacles such as the elimination of even tiny amounts of vibration that would distort the detection of the ultra-fine microscopic images.
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The resulting prototype was tested and developed into a prototype that was stable and reliable.
Andrew Leakey at the department of Plant Biology and the Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois told Fox News, "For example, they open the pore in the light and close it in the dark. This happens in order to allow photosynthesis to happen when conditions are favorable but to minimise the loss of water from the interior of the leaf to the atmosphere. When plants don't have access to enough water, because the weather is hot and dry, or because we forget to water them, they start to dry out and don't grow as well."
