The walk and jump of horsetail spores (Equisetum)

Horsetails reproduce by producing tiny spherical spores. The spores have four ribbon-like appendages sensible to moisture. Theses \“legs\“ fold back around the main body in humid air and deploy upon drying. This specificity allows spores to move: during humidity cycles, we found out that spores are performing steps and even jumps. Such locomotion mechanisms were never observed in other spore plants. Music: Also sprach Zarathustra by R. Strauss, Barbara Schubert / University of Chicago 2000, Commu