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Plants and Pipettes
Join us in exploring the fantastic world of molecular plant biology! We dive deep into the cells of all green things and together we discover the mechanisms behind photosynthesis, flower development and much more!
I saw the Kew Garden’s giant Corpse Flower
By enormous luck, a spur-or-the-moment decision to escape to London’s Kew Gardens on a sunny Friday had me running into the blooming event of the season: the opening of the Corpse flower’s…
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My bees bring all the sugar to the flower
The sound of insects flying next to my ear has never excited me in a good way. The sound usually triggers an intense reaction defined by hand waving, jumping and squealing like a grown man. This is on…
Turning Cabbage into Cauliflower
Cauliflower’s ability to imitate anything from ‘rice’ to ‘wings’, has seen the previously humble veggie rise in power in recent years. Yet while its transformative powers are celebrated by foodies acr…
Plants ‘smell’ pheromones of parasitic worms
Plants perceive the chemical signals that waft off worms like bad B-O as a sign to hunker down and start preparing their defences. The fact that nematodes -a type of small slender worm- are the most a…
May The Fourth Be With You
The answer to the question, ‘what has a light sabre got to do with how plants express themselves’
Bug Pest Steals Plant Genes to Neutralize Plant Defences
Plants and herbivorous insects have long struggled in an evolutionary arms race. Now, in the first example of animals thieving plant genes, research shows that sweet potato whiteflies have overcome pl…
This superhero protein will fight anaemia
I like plants a lot – especially when I can eat them. A purely plant based diet, however, might not include enough iron to stay healthy (although not necessarily). New research could change that. …