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Trains now on Uber. T's and C's apply check the Uber app. This is scientific Americans 60 second science. I'm Karen Hopkins.

Bees are a big part of the life cycle of plants, carrying pollen from one flower to another,

and allowing plants to produce their frequently yummy output.

But with bee populations on the decline, what could possibly take their place?

How about soap bubbles?

It may sound fantastical.

But A Jiro Miyako and his colleague at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have used battery-powered bubble

makers to pollinate a pair orchard. The details of their magical realism approach to agriculture

are in the journal I science.

A few years back, Miyako and his team tried to mimic the pollinating prowess of honey bees

by retrofitting a two inch long toy drone with brushes made of horse hair.

They loaded the device with pollen suspended in a sticky gel, but the tiny flyer was

tough to control, and its hairy little applicators ended up damaging

the delicate floral targets. After spending some time blowing bubbles with his son,

Miyako started thinking more seriously about these soapy little marvels.

He figured bubbles would be sticky enough to carry and deliver a pollen payload, but soft and

flexible, so they shouldn't hurt a blossom when they land and then pop.

The researchers chemically optimized their soapy solution

to make bubbles that were mechanically stable

and actually enhanced the pollination process.

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