Plant physiology Julius von Sachs unified the pieces of plant physiology and put them together as a discipline. His "Lehrbuch der Botanik" was the plant physiology bible of its time. Researchers discovered in the 1800s that plants absorb essential mineral nutrients as inorganic ions in water. In natural conditions, soil acts as a mineral nutrient reservoir but the soil itself is not essential to plant growth. When the mineral nutrients in the soil are dissolved in water, plant roots absorb nutrients readily, soil is no longer required for the plant to thrive. This observation is the basis for hydroponics, the growing of
Artificial cartilage field. Artificial cartilage is a new research topic and much is still unknown. There is a lot of unknown factors involving ASCPs and more studies need to be conducted to make a more supported conclusion about the regenerative functions of ASCPs. Additionally, growth factors have been thoroughly evaluated, however specific combinations still need to be studied further in order to more effectively generate a tissue that can mimic the properties of natural cartilage. Artificial cartilage Artificial cartilage is a synthetic material made of hydrogels or polymers that aims to mimic the functional properties of natural cartilage in the human body.