The German physician Paul Ehrlich (not to be confused with the American scientist of the same name) coined the term “magic bullet” (zauberkugel) to describe something that is perfectly and accurately effective. As much as we dream of magic bullets, they are rarely found, but the idea of using spray-on RNA as an agent of […]
A year ago, graduate student Merritt Khaipho-Burch Tweeted a reaction to an article about a gene described as enhancing yield, which led to lively on-line and in-the-lunchroom discussions about how to realistically measure yield, and, maybe more importantly, where to draw the line between potential and promise. Now, Khaipho-Burch and colleagues have published a set […]
When we speak about rice, we’re often referring to one of two domesticated species, Oryza japonica or Oryza indica. However, there are an additional 25 species in the genus Oryza. These so-called wild relatives harbor substantial genetic diversity that holds promise for crop improvement. Here, Prakash et al. surveyed 22 Oryza species for drought tolerance […]
What do you do when you’ve identified a gene that you know is important, but you don’t know how it functions? Usually, you can get hints from homology searches, overexpression studies, or the identification of protein domains, but sometimes those approaches don’t work. That’s where the story of the pathogen virulence protein AvrE from Psueodomonas […]
Understanding the genetic basis of local adaptation of a species is an important but thorny problem. Now that whole genomes are readily characterized, it’s not hard to see lots of differences between populations, but pulling meaning and demonstrating functional consequences out of those differences is very difficult. Here, Lee et al. convincingly show that the […]
Review: Rapid auxin signaling: Unknowns old and new You might think you’ve read enough about auxin, but I recommend you take this opportunity to read one more article, this very interesting and enjoyable review by Fielder and Friml. Auxin has figured prominently in both the classical and molecular eras of plant biology. However, the exciting […]
We’re living in a time of increasing awareness of environmental degradation, but this awareness is often not accompanied by opportunities for direct actions. Here, Munschek et al. describe conservation gardening (growing endangered native plants) as a strategy by which people can support local biodiversity. As the authors point out, native plants often require less water […]
Plant Physiology Webinar: Plant Cell Polarity Celebrating the September 2023 Focus Issue on Plant Cell Polarity Recorded Monday, September 25, 2023 About This Webinar Plant cell polarity plays a pivotal role in the fundamental processes that dictate plant growth, development, and adaptation. By establishing distinct regions within cells, plant cell polarity is crucial for regulating […]
I highly recommend this excellent and accessible article by Borg et al. that provides an overview of the red macroalgae, which “may have been the first eukaryotic lineage to have evolved complex multicellularity”. It’s full of fascinating information: although 97% of red algal species are marine, one lives in sloth hairs, and nori (sushi seaweed) […]