Acknowledgments

What a Plant Knows would never have been published without the input of three amazing women.

First, my wife, Shira, who encouraged me to push the envelope, do something beyond academic research and writing, and, finally, to press “send.” Without her love and belief, this book would never have happened.

Second, my agent, Laurie Abkemeier. Her experience, tenacity, support, and boundless optimism made a naive author feel like a Pulitzer Prize–winning veteran. I was fortunate in finding not only an agent but a friend.

Third, my editor at Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Amanda Moon, who had the daunting task of turning my academic wording into readable prose. Amanda worked tirelessly to edit and reedit each chapter, and then do it again a third, a fourth, and a fifth time, all with utmost patience.

Many scientists from around the world helped me craft this into a scientifically valid work. Professors Ian Baldwin (Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology), Janet Braam (Rice University), John Kiss (Miami University), Viktor Zarsky (Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic), and Eric Brenner (New York University) were kind enough to take time from their busy schedules to read parts of this book and to make sure that the science was fairly presented. The idea for this book originated in discussions with Eric, and I will be forever thankful for his insight, encouragement, and friendship. I also thank Professor Jonathan Gressel (Weizmann Institute of Science), Dr. Lilach Hadany (Tel Aviv University), Professor Anders Johnsson (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), Professor Igor Kovalchuk (University of Lethbridge), and Dr. Virginia Shepherd (the University of New South Wales) for input at various stages of this project. The influence of my mentors, Professor Joseph Hirschberg and Professor Xing-Wang Deng, is felt in all the science I do and write.

I thank Karen Maine for her edits and diligence in keeping me on time, Ingrid Sterner for an amazing copyedit, and the team at Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, who were wonderful to work with.

I am lucky to have fabulous colleagues at Tel Aviv University who provided many helpful hallway discussions and ideas. In particular, many of the ideas in this book were explored first with Professors Nir Ohad and Shaul Yalovsky in our course Introduction to Plant Sciences. I want to thank my labmates, Ofra, Ruti, Sophie, Elah, Mor, and Giri, for accepting my absences in overseeing their research while I wrote this book and especially Dr. Tally Yahalom, who covered for me in running the lab. My daily interaction with them is a constant reminder of why research is so exciting. I’m also indebted to the benefactor of the Manna Center for Plant Biosciences who has helped show me how modesty coupled with focus can synergize to reach important goals.

I wish to thank Alan Chapelski for the portrait, and Deborah Luskin, who helped me start to write. My immediate and extended families have been a source of unending support. From my sister, Raina, to Ehud, Gitama, Yanai, Phyllis, and my mother, Marcia, who were the first readers of the manuscript, I am forever thankful. My children, Eytan, Noam, and Shani, are constant sources of joy and were even available to provide me with a missing word. And lastly, my father, David, who offered me edits and constant support, and lived vicariously through the book’s publication.