Lucky!

FOUR LEAF CLOVERS

When I was younger, I'd spend hours outside, scanning the ground for that icon of luck--a four leaf clover. I'd sit in the clover patch that grows in my front yard, analyzing each and every clover, hoping, wishing that I'd happen to find luck.

Lately, I've been walking through a lot of clover patches. No longer do I spend entire afternoons scanning these patches, but I still browse. And now, as a questioner of science, I wonder what actually makes these clovers have four leaves, not three?

After some research (instead of looking at the clover patch all afternoon, I've been looking at the books and articles), I discovered that the extra leaf is actually a genetic mutation. Many believe that there is a mythical explanation behind it, but as a scientific explorer, I'd rather understand the real reason for the anomaly.

The clover we see is a trifolium clover plant. Originally, it sports 3 leaves. However, a mutation happens in the gene, allowing the plant to instead have 4 leaves (or more). Four leaf clover masters find that patches in which they have found one, they often find more. What is the reason for this, you ask? This is because in a small area, the plants are more likely to be genetically similar. The seeds of the parent plant often land very close, and, as the four leaf clover is a genetic mutation, it can be passed from one generation to the next. Therefore, every four leaf clover that is formed increases the likelihood that there will be more four leaf clovers in that patch.

The likelihood of finding a four (or more) leaf clover is approximately 1:10,000. That means that for every 10,000 three leaf clovers we scan, there is one four leaf clover. Some businesses, however, have encouraged the mutation by feeding the plants a genetically engineered ingredient. They're actually producing close to 10,000 four leaf clovers a day, and then selling them as a lucky charm! I'd say that's no longer lucky...it's the chance of coming across it that makes finding a four leaf clover so lucky!

Also, interestingly, the record for the most four leaf clovers found by one person: 72,927 clovers! If I want to catch up, I'd better be spending more time than an afternoon every once in a while!

Good luck today! Go looking for a four leaf clover!