To collect seeds of two critically endangered plants, Petrocosmea grandiflora and Elaeagnus bambusetorum, researchers from the Kunming Institute of Botany need to enter a giant karst sinkhole in Mengzi City, southwest China's Yunnan Province. But the complex topographic condition, coinciding with recent heavy rains, has posed great challenges to the team. To familiarize themselves with the terrain, the expedition team began with a smaller sinkhole instead.

Check the video and see how the Chinese scientists "warm up"  before the real task. 

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Scientists collect rare plant seeds from sinkholes in SW China

(Cover image is a screenshot)

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