Caspar Chater

Sign the Petition Reconsider the potential suspension of Plant Biology Courses at UoN

Reconsider the potential suspension of Plant Biology Courses at UoN - Sign the Petition! c.org/p5jy2GXHcX via
@UKChange

PhD opportunity in plant developmental biology for UK based students of Black heritage!

How do they know when to grow up? Join us at the University of Bristol to find out.

Application deadline Jan 6th

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

#PlantSciencePhDs @blackinplantsci.bsky.social

There's still just about time to apply for this postdoc position - a super cool project and I can highly recommend working with Caspar!

Deadline 02/11/25

Professor Susanne von Caemmerer and Professor Graham Farquhar are receiving an award.

Plant scientists Professor Graham Farquhar and Professor Susanne von Caemmerer transformed the world's understanding of photosynthesis, and now they have been jointly awarded the Royal Medal (Biological) from The Royal Society, at a ceremony in London.

science.anu.edu.au/news-events/...

"The 1.5-degree limit is only possible if we ultimately stop burning all fossil fuels.

Not reduce.

Not abate.

Phaseout."

@UN Secretary General @antonioguterres
| #ActOnClimate #climate #energy

The failure to decarbonize the global energy education system: Carbon lock-in and stranded skill sets The energy transition involves the transformation of professions and labour markets, which in turn depend on the availability of a workforce with the …

"The findings show that the rapid adoption of renewable energy worldwide is not matched by changes in higher education, since universities continue to prioritise coal and petroleum studies"

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Fig. 1.The 13CO2 labeling technique for measurement of the leaf photosynthetic rate. (A) Schematic diagram of the 13CO2 labeling device. (B) Translocation of newly assimilated 13C after a 2 min labeling. (C) Comparison of photosynthetic rate obtained using the 13CO2 labeling technique (A13C) and portable photosynthesis system (Pn). (D) Comparison of the photosynthetic rate measured before and after trimming. In (B) and (D) data are means ± SE, n = 5.

☀️🌱 RESEARCH 🌱☀️

Maize leaf tips exhibit the lowest photosynthetic recovery post-drought, due to water storage deficits and hydraulic failure, reducing whole-leaf water use efficiency - Liu et al.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...

#PlantScience 🧪

This is actually a really cool review imo

A stem with two flowers and one bud. The flowers have four deep red petals, contrasting bright yellow pollen, and sepals that appear golden in the sunlight

Have you ever seen gold on a flower before?

This is the flower of the carnivorous plant Drosera calycina, which has striking deep red petals and sepals that glitter like gold in the afternoon sunlight.
#ozflora #fierceflora #Droseraceae #wildoz #nativeplants #bloomscrolling #nature

Brussels U-turns on anti-deforestation law delay The surprise decision follows a string of unexpected changes to the EU’s main tool to end deforestation.

The EU will not now delay the introduction of its deforestation law which is a bit of good news given the war on environmental protections currently underway in Brussels

www.politico.eu/article/brus...

We could also frame it like this:

"Refusing to regulate AI will 'kill' the arts industry."

Call for Papers: 2026 Focus Issue on Early Land Plant Evolution – Phylogenetics, Paleobotany, and Evo-devo Physiology. Submission Deadline: 03/2026. academic.oup.com/plphys/pages...

#plantscience

Join us for a PhD in Oxford to decipher how a genetic-hormonal pas de deux drives pea pod growth and development.
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Leveraging Crop Wild Relatives and Ploidy Level for Climate-Resilient Annual Ryegrass Leveraging crop wild relatives and chromosome manipulations are powerful tools for developing climate-resilient agroecosystems. Yet, the combined effects of polyploidy and diverse genetic makeup on pl...

Leveraging Crop Wild Relatives and Ploidy Level for Climate-Resilient Annual Ryegrass
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

High contiguity de novo genome sequence assembly of Trifoliate yam (Dioscorea dumetorum) using long read sequencing
doi.org/10.1101/2020...

#Crops #Genomics

Three sisters intercropping system. Maize (blue), beans (red), and squash (yellow) are grown together. Factors making the system more robust and higher yielding than monocropping are listed in boxes.

#Intercropping & #CropRotation are ancient #agricultural practices that increase yield & #DiseaseResistance in #crops. This Essay discusses the role of plant-derived metabolites & microbes in these systems and how they can contribute to #SustainableAgriculture @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4op7k6W

FT-like genes in Cannabis and hops: sex specific expression and copy-number variation may explain flowering time variation - BMC Genomics Cannabis sativa is a fascinating, yet under-researched, species. To facilitate the global expansion of C. sativa cultivation a greater understanding of flowering time control is crucial. The PEBP gene...

Paper alert. In which we study FT-like genes in #Cannabis and #hops
doi.org/10.1186/s128...

Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs Dinidorid stinkbugs were reported to possess a conspicuous tympanal organ on female hindlegs. In this study, we show that this organ is specialized to retain microbial symbionts rather than to perceiv...

Wow, nature is too cool! Structures on stinkbug hind legs that used to be interpreted as ears are actually chambers with fungi. The bugs coat their eggs in those fungi to protect them against parasitoid wasps. 🧪

Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

A collection of seedheads, acorns, sycamore keys, dried flowers, lichen, a little owl feather & a piece of Baltic amber on a white watercolour paper background

Autumnal collection, including little owl feather, seedheads & various lovely things that fell off trees.
Zoom in to the details if you’re feeling stressed-the patterns in nature have been shown to help our brains relax🪶:

A late flowering Common Vetch on a road verge at Canworthy Water in Cornwall today for #WildflowerHour

Vicia sativa subsp segetalis

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

Best of times, worst of times: record fossil-fuel profits, inflation and inequality The 2022 oil and gas crisis resulted in record fossil-fuel profits globally that rehabilitated the oil and gas industry, obstructed the energy transit…

"50 % of profits went to the wealthiest 1 % of individuals, predominantly through direct shareholdings and private company ownership. In contrast the bottom 50 % only received 1 %."

It was a cost-of-living crisis only for the many.

#Inequality

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

I have been trying to get this published as an op-ed, but I am going to post it here since I think it is timely in light of the "consent" extortion events.

Deafening Quiet from the Scientific Establishment

jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...

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Do you love crop diversity and plant physiology? Apply to this new postdoc position open in my lab: careers.kew.org/vacancy/rese...

Please spread the word!

FindAPhD : Prestigious Sainsbury PhD Studentships in plant sciences at Gatsby Charitable Foundation Apply for a PhD: Prestigious Sainsbury PhD Studentships in plant sciences at Gatsby Charitable Foundation

If you’re looking for a PhD studentship in some really exciting areas of plant science 🌿 take a look at this year’s Sainsbury PhD studentships - you could come and study orchid mycorrhizas 🌸🍄 with me & @garethphoenix.bsky.social! www.findaphd.com/phds/program...

A fascinating review. Thoughtful analysis. Much to discuss. Should ABA be reverted to dormin? My only big disagreement is that the author does not consider ion channels as potential receptors. Comparison to other kingdoms shows that ion channels can be hormone receptors. Great for journal clubs

Marker-assisted in vivo imaging reveals pre-patterning events prior to lateral root organogenesis The branching pattern of the Arabidopsis root is established as early as in the distal tip of the primary root.

Looking for some clarity in the labyrinth of terms regarding lateral root initiation (priming, founder cell specification, pre-branch sites, oscillation zone, root clock,...)? Here is our new paper hopefully bringing some light in the darkness:
track.smtpsendmail.com/9032119/c?p=...

Bryophytes hold a larger gene family space than vascular plants - Nature Genetics A super-pangenome analysis incorporating 123 newly sequenced bryophyte genomes reveals that bryophytes exhibit a larger number of unique and lineage-specific gene families than vascular plants.

Here's 123 new bryophyte genomes for you!
Apparently, bryophytes time and again include microbial genes in their genomic repertoire, and occupy a langer gene space than vascular plants.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

How China is Powering a Clean Energy Revolution And bringing cheap electricity and energy security to poor countries

Folks Need-to-Know:

More than 90% of new renewable power projects commissioned last year were more cost-effective than any new fossil fuel alternatives.

#energy #wind #solar

leahy.substack.com/p/how-china-...

Time-resolved reprogramming of single somatic cells into totipotent states during plant regeneration In Arabidopsis, transcriptional factors LEC2 and SPCH enhance local auxin biosynthesis, establishing a transcriptional framework that enables differentiated single somatic epidermal cells to regain to...

Time-resolved reprogramming of single somatic cells into totipotent states during plant regeneration

www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...