Michael Muszynski

We missed you. So sorry.

In this study, Gallicchio et al. describe how cleavage factor II (CFII) components serve as a mechanistic switch that controls alternative mRNA cleavage and polyadenylation during spermatogenic differentiation.

Learn more here:
➡️ tinyurl.com/gd351649

Fig. 1.Morphology of Phlebodium pseudoaureum. (A) A fertile frond of Phlebodium with attached sori. (B) An individual sporangium. (C–L) Representative images of gametophytes at different days after inoculation onto growth medium: (C) 20, (D) 31, (E) 86, (F–J) 111, (K) 133, and (L) 129. Arrows in (G–K) indicate meristem notches. The dashed circle in (L) highlights a cluster of multiple meristems and prothalli derived from a single gametophyte body. Scale bars are 5 mm in (A, L) and 100 μm in (B–K). The gametophyte shown in (I) developed independent new meristems (arrows); the one on the left is also shown in Supplementary Fig. S2C. The images shown in (C–E) and in (F–K) are representative of at least 40 and 12 independent gametophytes observed during the developmental stages, respectively.

🔬🌱 RESEARCH 🌱🔬

Continuous cell proliferation and de novo meristem formation drive clone-forming growth and prolonged longevity in epiphytic fern gametophytes - Wu et al.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...

#PlantScience 🧪

Regulation of arbuscular mycorrhiza development by environmental stimuli: Many roads lead to strigolactones The majority of land plant species recruit fungi of the phylum Glomeromycotina to form one of the most widespread plant symbioses called arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) for mutual nutritional benefit [1–3]. Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) take up mineral nutrients from the soil through an extended hyphal network that forms outside the root and transports the nutrients directly into the root cortex, where they are released to the plant from highly-branched fungal structures, the arbuscules [4]. In turn, the fungi obtain photosynthetically fixed organic carbon from their host plants in the form of sugars and lipids [5,6]. AM is often described as a strategy for plants to obtain inorganic phosphate, but it also improves uptake of other inorganic nutrients, such as nitrogen, potassium, and sulfur [7–9].

Plants cry for help to their closest friends! -> Regulation of arbuscular mycorrhiza development by environmental stimuli: Many roads lead to strigolactones | PLOS Pathogens

 An intergenic bidirectional promoter driven novel lncRNA (LjPLR) modulates the gene expression of a late nodulin in Lotus japonicus | Research Square

KATANIN promotes cell elongation and division to generate proper cell numbers in maize organs Microtubule severing is essential for proper eukaryotic cell elongation and division. Here we show that the microtubule severing protein, KATANIN, is encoded by two genes in Zea mays (maize) called Di...

Excited to share this preprint on the microtubule severing protein Katanin, and its role in cell elongation and division in maize. First author Stephanie Martinez worked collaboratively with many folks to bring you this preprint. Check it out! 🔬🌽 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

T0 DNA prep time. Go Jerry!!! 💪🏼🌽🙏🏽🙌🏽

Scarlet eggplant plant, showing black stems and bright red-orange fruit.

My scarlet eggplant F1s are doing great. After they're done, I will have so very many F2 seeds stashed away.

Even with my goal involving several genes, I should easily be able to recover several plants.

Some of the early generation diploid potatoes from today, 2nd or 3rd year in the field and putting out some interesting colored flesh 🌈

Donate to Indivisible Action - Unlimited Show your support with a contribution.

We want October 18 to be bigger than June’s No Kings Day — with more people in more places driving more defiance of Trump’s regime. Your donations make that happen by funding the tools, recruitment efforts and logistical details (like portapotties) that great events need. Please pitch in if you can.

ggplot2 4.0.0 A new major version of ggplot2 has been released on CRAN. Find out what is new here.

I am beyond excited to announce that ggplot2 4.0.0 has just landed on CRAN.

It's not every day we have a new major #ggplot2 release but it is a fitting 18 year birthday present for the package.

Get an overview of the release in this blog post and be on the lookout for more in-depth posts #rstats

Pivot to Plants: Training Program for Plant and Data Science | Danforth Plant Science Center The Pivot2Plants Fellows Program is a 1-year training program for people interested in pivoting to a career in plant science or data science but have limited research experience.

Applications for the 2026 Pivot to Plants Fellows Program at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center are now open.

Location: St. Louis, MO
Application Deadline: October 15, 2025
Dates: Jan. 5, 2026 – Dec. 23, 2026
Estimated Stipend: $37,275

Learn more: www.danforthcenter.org/our-work/edu...

Everyday trump does horrible stuff that erodes democratic norms and also the administration should release all the Epstein documents

This always blows my mind. Dude mapped qtl for a quantitative trait to a chromosome in 1923!

Arrived and ready for #PDevSRC!! 🌱🧪

Partial retention of ancient function increases genetic pleiotropy in grass evolution https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.22.670905v1

Popgen day 8: mutation/selection balance, genetic load and inbreeding depression (and Darwin studying corn!), migration, aliens, a brief aside on the structured coalescent, 2Ns>>1 for selection to win, and Tomoko Ohta being a badass

Please listen to @justinwolfers.bsky.social. Boom.

In 2005, a small team of researchers asked:
What if undergrads didn’t just learn genomics, but contributed to real discoveries?

That question launched the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP).
#GenomicsEducation #UndergradResearch #GEPCUREs

August 12, 2025 Liberal commentator Jessica Tarlov nailed it this morning when she wrote: “He’s doing everything EXCEPT releasing the Epstein files.” Her comment was in reference to President Donald Trump’s social me...

August 12, 2025

People in Los Angeles have been protesting 24 hours for 2 weeks straight and no news outlet is covering it!
8/8/25

Did you see @racheljabaily.bsky.social new open educational resource "Biology of Plants" coloring textbook when you were at #Botany2025 ? No? WELL GO CHECK IT OUT: oercommons.org/courses/the-... Gorgeous illustrations by MGB Hurst 😍

An exciting negative result!

The best (IMHO) of the Smithsonian Museums, The Renwick Gallery, will have a corn-relevant installation

Justin Favela: Capilla de Maíz (Maize Chapel)
americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/...

From Aug. 22, 2025 to Sept. 7, 2026

I am looking to connect with my plant bio assistant professor cohort. If you know someone (or if it’s you!) please let me know.

#PlantScience

District judge presses forward with mass-firings challenge following SCOTUS's order Judge Susan Illston provided a great example on Friday of how to deal with the current Supreme Court in an order that the Trump admin turn over its mass-firing plans.

BREAKING: District judge presses forward with mass-firings challenge following SCOTUS's order.

Judge Susan Illston provided a great example on Friday of how to deal with the current Supreme Court in an order that the Trump admin turn over its mass-firing plans.

New, at Law Dork:

I can confirm the PBS Passport is a very good deal for $5/month or $2.50/month if you do yearly.

Thousands of hours of top notch content. NOVA is great. The new Ken Burns doc on Leonardo da Vinci is excellent.

You can sign up at the link below!

www.pbs.org/passport/lea...

They took my concerns to heart and fixed it!! Yay BioRender!!! @biore.bsky.social @maizegdb.bsky.social

Past the peak already. That was fast!!!