Redkar et al. demonstrate that the wilt-inducing fungus Fusarium oxysporum secretes a set of proteins that allow it to colonize the roots of a wide array of plant species. The Plant Cell (2022). By Amey Redkar1 and Antonio Di Pietro2. Illustration by Dr. Lindsay Erndwein 1Department of Botany,…

On the academic job hunt? Bookmark this article, which provides valuable information about what to do when your search is successful. The time between getting an offer and accepting it is the most critical time for you to negotiate to get the resources you need, such as space, equipment, institutional…

RETINOBLASTOMA-RELATED (RBR) is the plant homolog of the metazoan Retinoblastoma protein (pRB) tumor suppressor and is a conserved cell cycle regulator. RBR has been linked to several multicellularity-related processes, such as controlled cell proliferation, stem cell regulation, and asymmetric cell…

The earliest terrestrial plants had relatively small, simple forms. The evolution of water-conducting cells provided opportunities for increased size. However, water movement by tension (driven by evaporation) can fail when the water column breaks and is blocked by an air bubble called an embolism. Looking…

In biology nothing makes sense but in the light of evolution. However, understanding how new traits can appear through modification of pre-existing elements has been a complex question in evolutionary biology. LaFountain et al. studied a population of a species of monkeyflower (Mimulus verbenaceus) which…

Human malnutrition results from the lack of essential mineral micronutrients.  In particular, iron deficiency might cause anaemia and stunted development in children, while zinc deficiency might reduce immunity to infectious diseases. In bread wheat, iron and zinc are located in the embryo and aleurone.…

Double fertilization, in which one sperm cell fertilizes the egg cell to form the embryo, and another sperm cell fertilizes the diploid central cell to produce the triploid endosperm, is a hallmark of angiosperms. Li et al. addressed a long-standing question: if only one sperm cell were present, would…

There is a growing number of studies showing the effects of rising temperatures on different aspects of plant life cycles and ecological dynamics. However, little is known about how a warmer world would affect plants' reproductive performance; in other words, how many resources they invest in reproduction…