Take a Look Inside the Danforth Center’s X-Ray CT Facility

Did you know our x-ray computer tomography (x-ray CT) facility is one of the only X-ray imaging facilities in North America that is solely devoted to studying plant biology? The x-ray CT facility, pioneered by Dr. Chris Topp and his lab, allows scientists to see in 3D the subterranean world of living roots nondestructively. This relatively new capability enables the Topp Lab to explore how roots occupy 3D space in the soil.

“Through the study of living roots, we are learning about water and nutrient uptake, how plants respond underground to drought and other stress,” says Chris Topp. “We are figuring out how plants sequester carbon. Roots have enormous untapped potential to help heal our planet.”