Plant Science Research Weekly: February 10, 2023
WWR Full PostReview: Hypes, hopes, and the way forward for microalgal biotechnology
Microalgae are small, photosynthetic algae that have emerged as important contributors to food and nutrient production. This review describes the many ways they can be grown (e.g., autotrophic, with sunlight or artificial light;…
Plant Science Research Weekly: January 27, 2023
WWR Full PostRunning a research group in the next generation: Combining sustainable and reproducible research with values-driven leadership
This is a fantastic article to help new, future, and even current lab heads think about their postures, priorities, and practices. It was developed through a workshop held…
Plant Science Research Weekly: January 13, 2023
WWR Full PostAn RNA world
Annual Reviews editions typically start with a brief autobiographical essay by a noted scientist. The 2023 edition of Annual Reviews in Plant Biology includes a profile of David Baulcombe, the well-known scientist whose work was foundational in revealing the roles of small RNAs in gene…
Plant Science Research Weekly: December 16, 2022
Blog, WWR Full PostReview: The epigenetic control of the transposable element life cycle in plant genomes and beyond
What a wonderful review! As the title indicates, this review by Liu et al. looks at transposons, considering their “life cycle” – from introduction into a naïve genome, through amplification, diversification,…
Plant Science Research Weekly: December 2, 2022
WWR Full PostReview: The power and perils of de novo domestication using gene editing
I’m excited by the ways that knowledge about plant developmental and metabolic programs is being used to make new varieties of plants. This excellent review describes some of these applications such as changes in fruit size…
Plant Science Research Weekly: November 18, 2022
WWR Full PostStrategies on how to maximize the moment as a junior faculty
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…
Plant Science Research Weekly: November 4, 2022
WWR Full PostUpdate: Plant energy expenses: How to stretch the C budget
Balancing the books means making sure that expenses don’t exceed income. In terms of a plant’s energy budget, most of the input comes from carbon fixed during photosynthesis. The output is much more diverse. Some fixed carbon is used for…
Plant Science Research Weekly: October 21, 2022
WWR Full PostUpdate: Toward a data infrastructure for the Plant Cell Atlas
The ability to analyze the information contained within a single cell, for example through single-cell RNA sequening (scRNA-seq) presents exciting possibilities to biologists. Building on this and similar technologies, the Plant Cell Atlas…
Plant Science Research Weekly: October 7th, 2022
WWR Full PostGenome-edited rice deficient in two 4-COUMARATE:COENZYME A LIGASE genes displays diverse lignin alterations
Lignin is one of the most important end-products of the cinnamate/monolignol pathway and it is abundant in the secondary cell wall of vascular plants. In grasses, lignins are derived from monolignols,…