Get involved with our EDI Online Symposium! We're welcoming abstracts showcasing innovative approaches, strategies, or lived experiences in action. Whether you work in research, education, or leadership, don't miss the chance to share your insights. Deadline 14 September: https://ow.ly/yuow50Zw2ip

We identified protein domains in LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor). Their distinctive amino acid usage reveals the order amino acids were added to the genetic code, based mostly on size. Older proteins hint at earlier alternative codes. 1/15 @seekingluca.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Order of amino acid recruitment into the genetic code resolved by last universal common ancestor’s protein domains | PNAS

The current “consensus” order in which amino acids were added to the genetic code is based on potentially biased criteria, such as the absence of s...

pnas.org

🌱 From Nature Communications: Hybrid vigor in maize may arise partly from master regulatory genes coordinating the activity of hundreds of other genes. (Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra) ▶️ www.nature.com/articles/s41... #PlantScience #PlantBiology #Genetics

The incomplete dominance of gene expression controlled by Trans-eQTL hotspots contributes to heterosis in maize - Nature Communications

This study shows that maize hybrids exhibit increased transcriptome activity than inbred parents in an incomplete dominance manner, contributing to hybrid vigor. This increase is primarily regulated b...

nature.com

Glycosylceramide assembly and function in a model bryophyte https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.31.742004v1

For our series of profiles of senior academics, this month we hear from Prof. Louise Robson from @sheffielduni.bsky.social. She shares valuable tips for early-career staff. To read her interview, join our LinkedIn group (your institution must be a HUBS member): www.linkedin.com/groups/13191...

Photosynthetic assimilate determines branch size and biomass more than branch number in Arabidopsis https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.29.741629v1

Ever had issues with contamination in #Marchantia or #liverwort tissue culture? We've developed a protocol that is simple and low-effort (albeit slow) to get rid of fungi and bacteria: dx.doi.org/10.17504/pro.... Work led by Isaac Coven and supported by Chetan Pandey, myself & @dromius.bsky.social.

Worth a read www.science.org/content/blog...

The Assault On Science Funding Continues

science.org

Our work on pattern formation in fossil and extant liverworts is out! @dev-journal.bsky.social Check it out if you are interested in fossils, evo-devo, and how mathematical modeling can help us understand the evolution of developmental processes! 🌿🧪 Thread ⬇️

Lateral inhibition governs ancestral cellular patterning in fossil and extant liverworts

Highlighted Article: Comparative and mathematical analyses reveal that oil body cell patterning in fossil and extant liverworts is consistent with a local activation-lateral inhibition mechanism, poin...

journals.biologists.com

“Somewhere along the way, we've forgotten the computer is just a metaphor for the brain. A powerful metaphor but still a metaphor. We always get into trouble when we confuse a metaphor with the thing itself – the map with the territory.” Lucid piece by @anilseth.bsky.social on LLMs & consciousness.🧪

Once again we are told AI may be conscious – I study consciousness, and I have my doubts | Anil Seth

Despite Anthropic’s claims, Claude is no more likely to achieve sentience than a simulation of a weather system is likely to generate a real hurricane, says Anil Seth, professor of cognitive and compu...

theguardian.com

Big picture: symbionts and pathogens converged on the same strategy - enter the host nucleus, reprogram development. Rhizobial Nops (Nodule outer proteins) join TAL and Hsv effectors. What will they target? (end/6) Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Structure models: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...

Structural modeling uncovers diverse predicted transcriptional and post-transcriptional modulators among type III effectors of symbiotic Rhizobia

Rhizobia are soil bacteria that establish nitrogen-fixing symbioses with legumes. While many rhizobia use a Type III Secretion System to deliver "Nodulation Outer Protein" (Nop) effectors, some unique...

biorxiv.org

Membrane Contact Sites in Cellular Homeostasis 📅 28–30 Sept 2026 | Chepstow, Wales Latest development in membrane contact site formation, remodelling and function Early booking deadline: 28 July 2026 👇 www.eventsforce.net/biochemsoc/f...

My coauthor Jay Falk's postdoctoral fellowship was terminated by the Trump administration for documenting the hummingbird example in this paper.

Andy Lee, PhD@andylee.bsky.social · 4w ago

In our Viewpoint (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...) we synthesize the gametic definition (outlined by Janicke et al below) and other definitions of sex (e.g., multivariate definition). We contend that is NO consensus on “biological sex” (maybe a consensus isn’t actually necessary…)

Not everyday a friend is able to define a new organelle!!! If you like membrane compartimentalization and are interested in how cells responde to stress in membrane tension, check this out!👇👇 Congrats to Elda and co!! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

I'm so thankful to @naascarabidopsis.bsky.social for the Community Impact award, shared with @yoselin.bsky.social & Sterling Field. www.arabidopsiscommunity.org/news-events/.... It's especially sweet as I'll retire from ASPB Dec 31, 2026. I'm leaving my job so I'll have more time for my work 😉

For our series of profiles of senior academics, this month we hear from Prof. Bernadine Idowu from University of West London. She shares valuable tips for early-career staff. To read her interview, join our LinkedIn group (your institution must be a HUBS member): www.linkedin.com/groups/13191...

Mary-Dell Chilton, NC biochemist who revolutionized agriculture, dies at 87 www.newsobserver.com/news/local/a... #PlantScience #PlantBiotech 🧪

Mary-Dell Chilton, NC biochemist who revolutionized agriculture, dies at 87

The late biochemist from Southern Pines transformed agriculture by creating the first genetically modified plants.

newsobserver.com

Chris Thorogood: "We Can’t Live Without Plants" www.botany.one/chris-thorog... Botany One interviews Dr Chris Thorogood, who aims to foster a greater care and attention for plants through science and art. #Botany #PlantScience

Chris Thorogood: "We Can’t Live Without Plants"

Botany One interviews Dr Chris Thorogood, who aims to foster a greater care and attention for plants through science and art.

botany.one

Glad to see this story and coverage of an important paper. www.statnews.com/2026/06/17/n... 1/16

NIH diversity programs doubled undergraduates’ odds of getting a Ph.D., 20-year study finds

A new study found that two diversity-oriented programs supported by the NIH doubled the odds that an undergraduate would earn a Ph.D.

statnews.com

@zeineradam.bsky.social et al. proposed CYSTEINE-RICH RECEPTOR-LIKE PROTEIN KINASE2 as negative regulator of CALS1 and CALS3 regulating source to sink transport, which impacts plant growth and development. @charlesmelnyk.bsky.social @rople.bsky.social @mwrzaczek.bsky.social #CSEBR

CYSTEINE-RICH RLK2 regulates development via callose synthase-dependent symplastic transport in Arabidopsis

Abstract. CYSTEINE-RICH RECEPTOR-LIKE PROTEIN KINASEs (CRKs) play an important role in plant development and stress responses. One of the best described me

doi.org

CLAVATA3 peptide signaling from stem cells integrates vascular organization and stem cell maintenance in Arabidopsis shoots https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.25.734304v1

🕸️ DARWIN REVIEW 🕸️ Robil & Scarpella show that vein patterns are more diverse than commonly thought, and identification of vein precursor cells is arbitrary and inconsistent across species, thus challenging current understanding of vein patterns 🌿 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/... #PlantScience 🧪

The authors discuss the possibilities offered by diverse genetic technologies to enhance the vitamin and mineral content in crops as part of the solution: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Genetic technologies to enhance crop nutritional value under climate change - Nature

This Review reflects on the joint power of genetic technologies, including untapped CRISPR–Cas techniques to combat hidden hunger and improve crop resilience, and argues in favour of their combined us...

nature.com

It is a pleasure to join the UPSC community and begin this new chapter. I’m excited for the years ahead and grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such inspiring colleagues. Many thanks to Anne Honsel for this beautifully written research portrait.

Umeå Plant Science Centre@umeaplantsciencecentre.se · last mo.

🧪🌾Researcher portrait: Meet @jalonsos.bsky.social 🌍 How do changes in water become signals that guide plant growth? In our new portrait, Juan talks about water movement, meristems, tree “heartbeats”, and why plants can be seen as teachers. Read the portrait here: www.upsc.se/about-upsc/n...

Save the date! We are working hard to organise the second iteration of this conference! 🌱

Association of Applied Biologists@aabiologists.bsky.social · last mo.

🌱 Save the Date! 🌱 Plant Biology Education is back for 2027! 📅 13 - 14th April 📍 Cambridge Cultivating... 🌿 Partnerships 🌿 Learning 🌿 Audiences & 🌿 Networks for 🌿 Teaching This 2nd edition will build on our previous 'Manifesto for Plant Science Education' (buff.ly/xPYHBVy) 🌱 #plantscience

Let's meet with our speakers! 👏 DR. GWENDOLYN DAVIS is a Postdoctoral Researcher @hhu.de @ceplas.bsky.social. She will explain how plant cells communicate and coordinate. Looking forward to meeting you all at our #soapboxscience event on 4th July at 1 pm. 🎉 #womeninstem #womeninscience#cologne

Congratulation @transitionalform.bsky.social @instmolplantsci.bsky.social for publishing the next chapter of your thesis @currentbiology.bsky.social ! Great work showing that the two fundamental vascular tissues - xylem and phloem evolved asynchronously. Read Laura's thread for more details 👇👇

Laura Cooper@transitionalform.bsky.social · last mo.

Our paper on the origin and evolution of phloem, a big part of my PhD work, is out in Current Biology! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Thrilled and grateful to receive an ERC Adv Grant! 🎉 We will explore how the endoplasmic reticulum contributes to plant ☘️ cell-to-cell communication 📞. 🤝 Thanks to my team, collaborators, and @bic-bordeaux.bsky.social. More details 👇 www.aquitaine.cnrs.fr/fr/cnrsinfo/...

Un financement européen pour changer de regard sur le langage des cellules végétales

Le Conseil européen de la recherche a annoncé ce jour la liste des lauréats des bourses ERC Advanced Grant, récompensant des scientifiques confirmés p

aquitaine.cnrs.fr

I am incredibly excited and grateful to have received an ERC Advanced Grant for my project, WOODIER: What Makes Trees Woody! 🌳 This award feels like the culmination of many years of work carried out in our research group, and the biggest thanks go to my lab members. bsky.app/profile/erc.... 1/x

European Research Council (ERC)@erc.europa.eu · last mo.

The results of the Advanced Grants 2025 are here! Out of 3,329 applicants, 319 leading researchers have been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant. Congratulations to all! 🎉 Curious to know more ? 👉 buff.ly/uiU9x5K #ERCAdG #FrontierResearch

LOVED seeing this bio inspired paper just recently published on @science.org: Viola seed pod architecture shapes sequential, force-augmented pinching. A perfect example of how plant anatomy can be used far beyond the "conventional" plant sciences! 🌱🤖 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Viola seed pod architecture shapes sequential, force-augmented pinching

Many plants explosively launch seeds, but these natural catapults often display inefficient, unpredictable energy transfer in seed ejection. Violets (Viola spp.) address this problem by ejecting seeds...

science.org