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My ripe tomato's sprouting from inside. What's going on?

Thanks to JoAnn Nash from the Round Rock ISD Opportunity Center for this great question! One of her colleagues, Cindy Taylor, brought in this odd tomato for JoAnn's class to explore. Here's what happened. Last summer, Cindy's air conditioner went out and this tomato got a bit warm. This situation is called vivipary, Latin for "live birth," when seeds germinate inside the parent plant. If things are just right, the internal seeds sprout and grow out through the skin. Since the same thing can happen in a compost pile, the students decided to plant their tomato. As it took root, they watered and fertilized it with water from their fish tank. For the winter, they've moved their new tomato plant into their greenhouse. I bet they get the first tomatoes on the block this year!

Many thanks to JoAnn Nash for the photo!

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