Can the pretrained transformer-based architecture TabPFN predict plant organismal complexity based on their complement of transcription factors? Yes it can: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Happy to hear your thoughts! @dvarshney.bsky.social @jandevries.bsky.social @watertoland.bsky.social

Prediction of plant organismal complexity based on transcription factor annotation: an AI approach

How morphological complexity evolves is still enigmatic. While there is evidence in algae and plants as well as animals that diversification of the repertoire of transcription factors (TF) is causativ...

biorxiv.org

‼️ Friendly reminder: The deadline for registration and abstract submission for the MAdLand Meeting 2026 is approaching ➔ 13 July. Register and submit your abstract here: madland-meeting.de

MAdLand@watertoland.bsky.social · 2mo ago

🌱 We are very thrilled to announce our Invited Speakers for this year's MAdLand Meeting. Join us in Göttingen, Germany, from September 29 to October 2, 2026, if you are interested in #plantsci & #evolution, and (re-)connect with an amazing scientific community. Register here: madland-meeting.de

🌱 We are very thrilled to announce our Invited Speakers for this year's MAdLand Meeting. Join us in Göttingen, Germany, from September 29 to October 2, 2026, if you are interested in #plantsci & #evolution, and (re-)connect with an amazing scientific community. Register here: madland-meeting.de

#PlantSciJobs #PlantSciJob #PlantSci There are 11 (!) new PhD positions in the plant sciences published today on our website: in plant ecological genetics + in algal physiology. Check them out: www.deutsche-botanische-gesellschaft.de/u/84-11newPh...

Als die ersten Pflanzen ihren Lebensraum im Wasser verließen und an Land siedelten, waren sie völlig neuen Gefahren ausgesetzt. Besonders bedrohlich war UV-Strahlung. Wie haben sie das überlebt? Eine winzige Alge gibt darüber nun Aufschluss. Mehr erfahren: www.uni-goettingen.de/de/3240.html...

Here is our contribution to this lovely special issue. Together with talented PhD students Gabriel and Mung Hsia, we discussed when and how pattern-triggered immunity had been established in plants. doi.org/10.1016/j.cu... @watertoland.bsky.social @mpipz.bsky.social

Anne Knowlton@anneknowlton.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Our beautiful special issue on plant evolution is out @currentbiology.bsky.social ! www.cell.com/issue/S0960-...

Abstract submission deadline is on 31st May 2026, if you want to present your #PlantSci research at this year’s International Conference of our German Society for Plant Sciences, the Botanik-Tagung 📆 6-10 September 2026 📍Bochum, Germany botanik-tagung.de/abstract-sub...

Very happy to share our recent publication in @currentbiology.bsky.social, showcasing the cell systems response of a close relative of land plants to UV-B light by utilising a multi-omics approach. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @jandevries.bsky.social @watertoland.bsky.social

Chemodiverse cell system responses to UV in an algal sister of land plants

Plant terrestrialization necessitated overcoming a barrage of stressors.1 Embryophytes (land plants) use an integrated response network to adjust thei…

sciencedirect.com

We had a great time taking part in Science Goes City in Göttingen on Sunday, in the beautiful St. Johannis Church. It was a joy to share our passion for #Plantsci & #Evolution with many curious people. Big thanks to Göttingen Marketing & @uni-goettingen.de for the organization. #Scicomm More below👇

‼️ Registration for the Annual MAdLand Meeting 2026 is now open! Join us in Göttingen from Sep 29–Oct 2, 2026 to discuss the latest trends in plant science & reconnect with an amazing #Plantsci community #MAdLand2026 #Evolution 🌱 Learn more and register here: madland-meeting.de/2026/

📣 Job opportunity: ERC-funded position as a Five-Year Postdoctoral Researcher (all genders welcome) in @jandevries.bsky.social lab in Göttingen, Germany. Find more info here: www.uni-goettingen.de/de/644546.ht... #plantsci

The New Phytologist Foundation is pleased to sponsor the 39th Molecular Biology of Plants Conference! The conference takes place in Hennef, Germany, this week. www.pflanzen-molekularbiologie.de/conference-m... @molplantsci.bsky.social #PlantScience #MBP2026

Conference

Conference "Molecular Biology of Plants" - Annual meeting of the Section Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology in the German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG)

pflanzen-molekularbiologie.de

Interested in the most recent developments in plant science? Join the Mendel Early Career Symposium on May 21-22 at the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social to exchange with experts about their science and career trajectories. Register by March 13th for a talk. More here: www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/news-eve...

#MAdLand Expression: adding sexual reproduction stages to the #Physcomitrium patens web tool. Great collaboration with @noefpbio.bsky.social @jandevries.bsky.social @watertoland.bsky.social Paper online in @theplantjournal.bsky.social doi.org/10.1111/tpj....

Here's how you can visualize gene expression during P. patens reproduction, from egg/sperm to spore, in the new web tool peatmoss.plantcode.cup.uni-freiburg.de Info on paper in post below. @watertoland.bsky.social

Stefan A. Rensing @rensingstefan.bsky.social · 7mo ago

#MAdLand Expression: adding sexual reproduction stages to the #Physcomitrium patens web tool. Great collaboration with @noefpbio.bsky.social @jandevries.bsky.social @watertoland.bsky.social Paper online in @theplantjournal.bsky.social doi.org/10.1111/tpj....

Registration is now open! The 4th edition of the Mendel Early Career Symposium will take place on 21-22 May at the GMI, part of the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social. This two-day event brings together researchers across career stages to discuss the latest research in all areas of plant science.

We wish everyone happy holidays and a healthy New Year 🎄💫 We are already looking forward to 2026 and the next MAdLand Meeting! 🌱

Herzlichen Glückwunsch! 👏 Unser Biologe Jan de Vries erhält einen #ERC Consolidator Grant für das Projekt StreptoProgram. Sein Team untersucht, wie die Evolution alte Gene zu Netzwerken kombiniert hat, die frühen Pflanzen das Leben an Land ermöglichten. Mehr: www.uni-goettingen.de/de/3240.html...

Fantastic closing keynote by @rensingstefan.bsky.social. Thanks for joining us and telling us about all of the great @watertoland.bsky.social outputs 👍

Always a pleasure to present this story—a proper team effort across three labs: us @gmivienna.bsky.social @oeaw.bsky.social (Chlamy genetics + cell biology + biochemistry), the Schuller lab @synmikro.bsky.social (cryo-EM magic), and the De Vries lab @watertoland.bsky.social (phylogenetic power)!

Genetics Society Non-Seed Plant SIG@gensocuknonseed.bsky.social · 9mo ago

@sramundo.bsky.social looks through the lens of Chlamydomonas to understand the origins of plastid-encoded RNA polymerase complexity #nonseedUK25 👍

WE GOT FERNS, folks. I hope you like ferns. If you don’t, just listen and you will like ferns. 🌿🌿🌿 Dr. Li is hilarious and charming and you will love him. And ferns. In conclusion: ferns. www.alieward.com/ologies/pter...

Pteridology (FERNS) with Dr. Fay-Wei Li — alie ward

Fronds. Forest dwellers. Spores. Houseplants. Queer icons. We’ve got ferns. The charming and hilarious professor and author of “Ferns: Lessons in Survival from Earth’s Most Adaptable Plants,” Dr. Fay-...

alieward.com

Countdown: there are only 9 days left ... if you want to join Molecular Biology of Plants (#MBP2026) Conference in Hennef Registration + abstract submission end on 🗓️ 23rd November 2025 www.pflanzen-molekularbiologie.de/en/conferenc...

German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG)@plantsciencedbg.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Registration is open to take part in the Molecular Biology of Plants (#MBP2026), which especially invites early career scientists to present their molecular #plantsci research www.pflanzen-molekularbiologie.de/en/conferenc...

Meet the winners of the 𝐓𝐏𝐉 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 at the 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 consortium meeting 🟢 PhD student 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐡 𝐋𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫 @hannahlepper.bsky.social @franzificht.bsky.social lab 🟢Postdoc 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐡 @physcomitr_ella from the Ischebeck lab CONGRATULATIONS! @watertoland.bsky.social

Very happy and proud to share the #Spirogyra genome: 50 Mbp small, lacking almost all plastid division proteins and many transcription factors. Kudos to all the many people involved in this multi year project! @jandevries.bsky.social @watertoland.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

And last but not least, congratulations to all the winners of the best poster prize! 🏆 1st place: Lara Canovai (right) from Zachgo lab in Osnabrück, Diego Artigas Hernández from Müller-Schüssele lab in Kaiserslautern and Ellen Lorberg from @jandevries.bsky.social lab in Göttingen #MAdLand2025

Congratulations to Elena Lesch from the Ischebeck lab @uni-muenster.de for the best Postdoc talk and winning the @theplantjournal.bsky.social award 🎉 #MAdLand2025 #plantsci

Congratulations to the winners of best PhD talk @ #MAdLand2025! 🏆 1st place: @hannahlepper.bsky.social from @franzificht.bsky.social lab, who won @theplantjournal.bsky.social award! Christoph Kentrath (left) from Petersen Lab in Marburg & Tim Ruder (right) from Pfannschmidt lab in Hannover #plantsci

Thank you all for coming! It was great to have you in Osnabrück this year. Have a safe trip home and we hope to see you all next year in Göttingen. Stay tuned 🌱 #MAdLand2025 #Plantsci

The last talk of the session is given by Katrin Philippar from Saarbrücken, talking about the evolution of the plastid FAX (fatty acid export) proteins and the plants’ conquest of land #MAdLand2025

Next, Lea Marie Preuß from the Ischebeck lab in Münster is diving into the evolution of lipid droplet-associated proteins and their role in drought resistance #MAdLand2025