A new study of plant growth has revealed the role gravity plays in root formation and direction, including how regulatory hormones help roots navigate around obstacles before continuing their downward trajectory. Specifically, it is known that plant roots can bend around obstacles before continuing a downward trajectory to gather more water and nutrients, a process called gravitropism. However, the exact mechanisms that let plants detect and adjust to obstacles before reacting to the force of gravity have remained unexplained. In an attempt to unravel the mystery, experts from the University of Nottingham’s School of Biosciences and Shanghai Jiao Tang University (SJTU) performed a series of lab experiments on plant roots. The study “Auxin controls rice root angle via kinase OsILA1-mediated cell wall modifications” was published in Science Advances.