In a recent feature for BBC Gardeners' World, Prof Malcolm Bennett explained how plant hormones control the transition from dormancy to growth. "If the conditions are right, gibberellic acid dominates and starts growth," he says, as the seed absorbs water and the embryonic root begins to emerge.

Grateful for the opportunity to present my research at the GRC Water and Salt Conference in Switzerland! Great few days of science, discussions, and meeting inspiring people. Big thanks to the organisers for a fantastic conference! @hydrosensing.bsky.social @hamannlab.bsky.social

Happy to share a new Nature Communications @natcomms.nature.com paper: “Ancestral functionality and symbiotic refinement of NIN in root nodule symbiosis.” Grateful for the opportunity to contribute and proud to be included among the co-authors: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Happy to support Jana’s Erasmus+ mobility at NTNU, Trondheim 🇳🇴 Thanks to Muzeum Beskyd for visiting. We discussed links between universities and museums, science communication, and the ongoing ERC Synergy project @hydrosensing.bsky.social, exploring how plants perceive and respond to water stress.

How do roots decide where to grow? New research reveals: ⚡ Calcium signals trigger ROS bursts ⚖️ These balance gravity + mechanical resistance 🌍 Result: roots navigate soil more effectively By tuning cell wall stiffness, plants “feel” their way through the ground. hydrosensing.eu/2026/04/calc...

🌱 Big news! Thorsten Hamann has been elected to the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (DKNVS), a major recognition of his research on how plants sense water. Read more: hydrosensing.eu/2026/04/thor... @hamannlab.bsky.social

“If you see this picture, I don’t have to tell you which direction the wind is blowing.” 🌬️🌳 Thorsten Hamann (NTNU) used this example of plant adaptation to introduce how Brillouin microscopy reveals changes in stiffness and viscosity in Arabidopsis roots under osmotic stress. 📅 Mar 6 #PlantScience

@hydrosensing.bsky.social Integrative sensory profiling and comparative phenotypic scoring revealed substantial functional divergence within the sampled cake population. In a pre-peer-review phase, the findings provide support for a robust structure–function relationship in Regensburg pastry biology

New manuscript out in Cell Reports! Shani lab has develope a multiplexed, tissue-specific CRISPR toolbox for Arabidopsis that overcomes gene family redundancy & enables large-scale,cell-type-resolved genetic screens 📃 www.cell.com/cell-reports... @eilonshani.bsky.social @cellpress.bsky.social

🌱🔬We’re exciting to be hosting a new webinar series on quantitative plant imaging with @ajcellbio.bsky.social & @joemckenna.bsky.social. The first webinar will be on 30 April at 15:00 BST. For more info and to sign up to our mailing list or volunteer to give a talk ⤵️

Macro to micro: quantitative plant imaging across scales webinar series - FocalPlane

Macro to micro: quantitative plant imaging across scales webinar series

focalplane.biologists.com

Our work now on its final version. We mapped the mechanical properties of roots at tissue and single cell levels using Brillouin microscopy and molecular rotors. Additional mutants and stress measurements from what we previously showed in the preprint are included. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The mechanical properties of Arabidopsis thaliana roots adapt dynamically during development and to stress

Brillouin microscopy reveals in vivo dynamics of mechanical properties during plant development and response to stress.

science.org

That’s a wrap for #PPRM2025. Great science, wonderful community and amazing location. Glad it all went smoothly and big thanks to @jackrhodes.bsky.social and @draegermarkus.bsky.social for helping organize the meeting.

Delving into the cell wall signaling with Thorsten Hamann @pprm2025.bsky.social 🤩

Some Impressions of the FASEB Mechanism of Plant Development - 110 attendees, two keynotes, 46 Talks & 83 posters but one passion: understand plant development 🌱🧪🔬🧑‍💻 #PDevSRC

‼️Abstract submissions is open for the 9th International BioBrillouin Meeting (biobrillouin25.com) that will take place at the Max Planck Society Conference House in Berlin, Germany on the November 25-27, 2025. Deadline for abstract submission: October 1, 2025 #BioBrillouin

SPPS PhD student conference on Tromsø, interesting meeting with fascinating science talks sppsphd2025.wordpress.com/about/

I enjoyed attending the 13th SPPS PhD student conference in Tromsø! I got the chance to present my poster about my PhD topic that I am doing in collaboration with @hydrosensing.bsky.social in the lab of @hamannlab.bsky.social. Thanks for having me!

One of the key aspects influencing morphogenesis is mechanics. We mapped the mechanical properties of living roots at the tissue and cellular levels using Brillouin microscopy and molecular rotors. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

📝 EDITORIAL In JXB’s 75th year, Editor-in-Chief John Lunn reflects on the journal’s evolution and looks ahead to future directions - including the announcement of our 2025 editorial interns! 🌱🎉 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/... #PlantScience 🧪 #JXB75 @sebiology.bsky.social

@sara-morghen.bsky.social giving a great talk about her PhD project involving ABA and mechanics at #PlantCellWallMeeting2025 in Vancouver. @hydrosensing.bsky.social

Francesco Saffioti from @ntnu presenting results from brillouin work in the @hydrosensing.bsky.social project at the international brillouin workshop in Perugia.

Arrived together with @sara-morghen.bsky.social to the beautiful UBC campus in Vancouver for the Plant Cell Wall Conference 2025. Ready to discuss the relation between cell walls, water sensing, abscisic acid and mechanobiology. @hydrosensing.bsky.social #plantcellwalls

Glad to introduce our new logo 🎉 This new image reflects our mission: understanding how #plants perceive and respond to water stress — a step toward developing crops resilient to drought and #climatechange 🔗 hydrosensing.eu The image tells a story: 1/3 👇

Just wanted to send a massive THANK YOU to everyone who joined our #HydroSensing meeting! Great energy & insights. Let's keep the collaboration flowing! A special shout-out to our guest speakers who sparkedfascinating dialogues. Your contributions were invaluable! @hydrosensing.bsky.social #Plant

In @uniofnottingham.bsky.social ERC Hydrosensing members spent a few intense (and wardrobe-consistent 😅) days filming about research on root systems and how plants adapt to drought. More footage for the documentary is being filmed at locations around the world in the coming year.

**Announcing the 2025 JXB Editorial Interns** Vittoria Clapero @ MPIMP Potsdam-Golm Níkolas Mateus @ Uni of São Paulo @luisalonsobaez.bsky.social @ NTNU Katie Watson @ Hong Kong Uni Henry Njoku @ Uni of Ibadan Deeksha Singh @ Uni of Calif. Riverside We can't wait to start! #plantscience 🧪

We are fascinated by how our leafy friends 🌱 feel the subtle shifts in soil moisture 💦 Last week we hydrated your minds and cultivated connections at our #erc meeting focusing on the captivating world of #Plant #HydroSensing 🧩@hydrosensing.bsky.social @hydrophotonics.bsky.social