Welcome to
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!
Muriel Howorth and the Atomic Garden
In a move that seems almost prescient in understanding the role of mutagenesis in crop improvement and basic biology, a group of ‘Atomic Gardeners’ triumphed the potential for atomic energy to be a fo…
How the Cucumber got its Curve
One of the stupidest arguments of the past years (and oh, there have been some strong contenders!), was the debate about the EU trying to regulate how bendy bananas were. Today we discuss a much more …
Did Greenpeace manage to detect CRISPR crops?
Greenpeace has published an “open source detection test for a gene edited crop”. This might suggest that they are able to specifically detect crops made by CRISPR & Co. Or does it? Ever…
Penguin Poop is Pink
Penguin poop, as it turns out is pink. And I need you all to know that – despite what several sources might say- the reason it’s pink, isn’t because of the krill (little sea crustaceans) that they …
Faking Sick
You may have stared lovingly at a variegated Monstera, asking yourself if there will ever be a day when you can afford such beauty… but have you ever wondered why that beauty even exists? In a study…
When Chloroplasts go GIANT
In 2007, Chiou-Rong Sheue and colleagues published the discovery of a new type of chloroplast, called the bizonoplast. The bizonoplasts found deep within the cells of the spikemoss Selaginella erythro…