Thea Edwards
Thea M. Edwards, PhD
I study plant compounds that mimic hormones, such as estrogen, in animals. This is interesting because the human diet is made up mainly of plants, and because plants supply the raw materials for at least 70% of pharmaceutical medicines made today. I want to know why plants make hormonally active chemicals, and how the environment in which the plant grows can alter the plant's chemical content. I also want to know how and why plant-based chemicals affect animal physiology.
