Kong Wong

(NY Times) Researchers at academic institutions nationwide say that U.S. science is being dismantled - Danforth Plant Science Center Nearly 2000 National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine members including Danforth Center President and CEO, Jim Carrington, PhD, signed a letter urging Congress to restore funding to federa...

Nearly 2000 National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine members including Danforth Center President and CEO, Jim Carrington, PhD, signed an open letter urging Congress to restore funding to federal agencies decimated by recent cuts.
loom.ly/lnjkm0o

The CDC has literally been gutted today.

There’s no need for “April Fools” when reality is a nightmare for every human on this planet.

Thousand of scientists fired.
Entire departments erased.

1/

Corn is a C4 plant therefore…

🌽 A team led by Andrea Eveland, PhD, has identified key genetic factors in maize pleiotropy. The study reveals a way to decouple traits that are closely intertwined, paving the way for smarter crop breeding: loom.ly/HTtocoQ

@nature.com

Nicola Patron, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge. Her group use synthetic biology approaches to investigate plant gene expression & metabolism. Of Trinidadian descent, Nicola was born and educated in the U.K.

Full profile: buff.ly/3EWYWKs

2025 Black History Month: Black Plant Scientists Spotlight | Plantae An initiative originated by Kevin Cox Jr., PhD, Plantae carries on Kevin’s tremendous effort of bringing visibility to several exceptional scientists and their work across the science community.

Even though it's no longer black history month, I wanted to reamplify an effort from my colleague Dr. Kevin Cox to spotlight black plant scientists. It's great seeing some of my colleagues at @danforthcenter.bsky.social and @virginiatech.bsky.social being highlighted!

plantae.org/2025-black-h...

Sorghum aerial roots producing mucilage and hosting bacteria that fix nitrogen from the air

Our latest article on biological nitrogen fixation on the aerial roots of sorghum has been published in @plosbiology.org. We thank the @energygov.bsky.social for supporting this exciting project.

journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Another lawsuit challenging NIH cuts of indirect costs, this time from AAMC and groups representing medical centers, hospitals, public health schools

Evolution of a vascular plant pathogen is associated with the loss of CRISPR-Cas and an increase in genome plasticity and virulence genes Paauw et al. report on the evolution of a plant pathogenic Xanthomonas pathovar and show that the gain of mobile genetic elements and virulence factors coincided with the loss of the CRISPR-Cas genome...

www.cell.com/current-biol...

Looking forward to Rhizosphere 6 this summer. But for now, time to work on everything but the abstract until February 28th. 🙃

Harnessing nature to defend soybean roots The microscopic soybean cyst nematode (SCN) may be small, but it has a massive impact. This pest latches onto soybean roots, feeding on their nutrients and leaving a trail of destruction that costs fa...

Using the top-tier imaging capabilities of the Danforth Center’s Advanced Bioimaging Laboratory, researchers have identified a new tool that could help soybean farmers protect their crops from a common costly pest.
 
🔬Learn more: loom.ly/E1Pxnk0

Abstract submission portal is open for our session focused on "Technology for Next Generation Agriculture and Plant Biotechnology" at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting this November in Boston, MA.

Abstract submissions portal: aiche.confex.com/aiche/2025/p...

Interested in computational NMR? Join us in beautiful Switzerland in June! Many slots for selected talks and great hiking opportunities.

GRC conference 1-6th of June with GRS ( @chrisdkolloff.bsky.social and Stase) on 30.05.

please share
@nmr900.bsky.social

www.grc.org/computationa...

How to be a trans ally in academia today (opinion) What it means to be an ally has changed, Chelsea Thompto writes.

Career Advice | Trans Allyship in Academia Today

What it means to be an ally has changed, Chelsea Thompto writes. #HigherEd #EDUSky #AcademicSky bit.ly/4amhPlA

I'll probably be an outlier as a researcher that switched from an engineering PhD to a plant biology postdoc, but it was fun to reflect on my journey into plant biology. #academicsky

Text reads "Volunteer for the Genetics Society of America Equity and Inclusion Committee" on a light yellow background with darker yellow accents, featuring illustrated hands from a diverse group of people overlapping.

Seems like a fitting first post here: the interest form for GSA's E&I Committee is now open! Forms are due by Dec 6, 2024, and new member invites will go out before the end of the year. Spread the word! www.surveymonkey.com/r/7PDJKWN

Screenshot of the editorial PDF.

New Editorial: "Alternate routes to gene functions" rdcu.be/d0IB9

The functions of many genes in model plants are unknown. Traditional methods to infer function are showing their limitations, but other approaches are emerging. #PlantScience

39 North AgTech Innovation District Join the conversation

For those who are in #STL or want to interact with the St. Louis Agtech ecosystem - here is our starter pack: go.bsky.app/MxfEHdo

Message 39 North if are in the region and want to be added to the pack.

SPL13 controls a root apical meristem phase change by triggering oriented cell divisions Oriented cell divisions are crucial for determining the overall morphology and size of plants, but what controls the onset and duration of this process remains largely unknown. Here, we identified a s...

In our latest work, we provide molecular insights into the age-dependent morphological changes occurring in the root meristem during phase change. Perseverance over many years by BaoJun Yang and Yanbiao Sun. Generous funding by ERC, FWO, VIB and UGent #plantscience
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

#NewPI

In a couple weeks you're all going to meet the 16-year-old trans girl who's challenge to a ban on gender-affirming medical care is being heard at SCOTUS and I'm going to need you all to 1) be loud and thankful for how badass she's being and 2) fight for her like your life depends on it

Photograph of Lynn Conway

It's timely to highlight the life & work of computer scientist Lynn Conway.
In the late 1960s, she transitioned from male to female and was sacked by IBM as a result. For some years, she went underground and, for the rest of her career, worked as a woman - herstory unknown.

39 North AgTech Innovation District Join the conversation

Find more #STL #PlantScience and #AgTech Innovators here! DM us if you want to be added to the starter pack.

go.bsky.app/MxfEHdo

In Nature Reviews Microbiology: "Cross-kingdom nutrient exchange in the plant–arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus–bacterium continuum" rdcu.be/dZWnI

New Bluesky friends --following lots or people is key over here to make your timeline lively, but do be careful about immediately re-following everyone who appears. A well-known "race-scientist" and modern eugenicist from the other place just followed me--his profile looks innocuous but.....

a man wearing sunglasses and a hat with the words we 're putting the band back together ALT: a man wearing sunglasses and a hat with the words we 're putting the band back together

BlueSky feels like this lately.

Interested in plant-microbe interactions and biochemical processes underlying them. Come join my lab, the Plant Holobiome Engineering & Ecosystem Dynamics (PHEED) lab, at Virginia Tech beginning Fall 2025. See images for more details about the fully funded graduate student positions!