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With huge heads on top of spindly stalks, how do sunflowers defy gravity to stay standing? That was a question sent to CrowdScience by listener Frank, whose curiosity was piqued by the towering sunflowers on his neighbour\u2019s deck. They stay up not only when the weather is fine, but, even more impressively, during strong winds. Could this feat of strength, flexibility and balance inspire the construction of tall buildings?

It's a question that takes presenter Anand Jagatia to a sunflower festival in England, to see how the sunflower\u2019s long evolutionary lineage has honed its structure. And from tall flowers to tall buildings, we turn to structural engineers, asking how these concepts factor into the design of the world\u2019s tallest skyscrapers. Can ideas drawn from sunflowers or other natural structures help buildings withstand wind, or even storm surges?

Contributors: \nStuart Beare, partner and grower at Tulley\u2019s Farm \nRoland Ennos, Visiting Professor in Biological Studies, University of Hull \nSigrid Adriaenssen, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University \nKoichi Takada, founder of Koichi Takada Architects

Presenter: Anand Jagatia \nProducer: Tom Bonnett \nEditor: Cathy Edwards \nProduction Co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano \nStudio Manager: Bob Nettles

(Image: Tall Sunflower blooming in a field, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Credit: Naomi Rahim via Getty Images)