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A fall mystery: why do only certain leaves turn red? episode artwork

Sep 28, 2026 13 min

A fall mystery: why do only certain leaves turn red?

from Short Wave

Leaves turn yellow in the fall because Chlorophyll breaks down, revealing the yellow pigment that was there all along. But why red? Red is a different story altogether. Leaves have to make a new pigment to turn red. Why would a dying leaf go an extra mile to do that? Scientists don’t really know. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce reports on the leading hypotheses out there. Read more of Nell's reporting on this topic. Interested in more seasonal science? Email us your ideas at [email protected]. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. NPR Privacy Policy

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A fall mystery: why do only certain leaves turn red?

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This episode is 13 minutes long.

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This episode was published on September 28, 2026.

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