Chin et al. identify SPIRRIG and SCAR/WAVE as molecular determinants of actin-mediated root hair development in Arabidopsis.  Background: Root hairs are tip growing cells that extend the radius of a root to optimize water and nutrient absorption. Root hair development is complex and involves the…

Shuaibing Liu, co-first author of “Estimating leaf area index using unmanned aerial vehicle data: Shallow vs. deep machine learning algorithms” Current Position: Ph.D Candidate, School of Remote Sensing and Information Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China Education: B.E. & M.E…

Benjamin Julius, first author of "Maize Brittle Stalk2-Like3, encoding a COBRA protein, functions in cell wall formation and carbohydrate partitioning" Current Position: Scientist I – Bayer Crop Science Education: Ph.D. Biological Sciences University of Missouri-Columbia, B.S. Biology from Truman…

Yulei Zhu, first author of "Large-scale field phenotyping using backpack LiDAR and CropQuant-3D to measure structural variation in wheat" Current position: Research associate (The Zhou Laboratory, Nanjing Agricultural University) Education: Research master (Master of Engineering) Non-scientific…

Recently, the UN Environment Programme identified excessive reactive nitrogen (N) resulting from anthropogenic activity as one of the five emerging threats facing our planet. Much of this derives from agricultural practices in which N fertilizers are inefficiently applied to crops, a significant proportion…

Plant biology as a field of study encompasses a rich plethora of subjects, some of which themselves are their own fields. Maarten Koornneef, in this memoir-style article, describes how genetics in particular shaped his career that saw the rise of Arabidopsis as the lovable poster child of plant biology…

Throughout history, many cultures have exploited the properties of Cannabis sativa, either as a source of fiber extracts (hemp) or as a medicinal and recreational drug (drug type). It is thought that cannabis was originally cultivated in Asia from where it spread to other regions around the globe, and…

Chicana feminist writer Cherríe Moraga wrote in her anthology This Bridge Called My Back, with regards to the necessary inclusion of women of color in contemporary progressive politics: “It is not always a matter of the actual bodies in the room, but of a life dedicated to a growing awareness of who…