Random gene pulsing generates patterns during development of living systems
A team of Cambridge scientists working at the intersection between biology and computation has found that random gene activity helps patterns form during development of a model multicellular system.
Professor Ottoline Leyser talks to Professor Brian Cox about her admiration for Nobel Prize winning geneticist, Barbara McClintock and explains the two great principles she uncovered.
Hinchingbrooke School solves botanical crime scene
We were delighted to welcome Sixth Form students from Hinchingbrooke School to SLCU this week to meet our scientists and solve a botanic-inspired crime.
Mix of LCOs and COs essential for mycorrhizal establishment
An international collaboration of scientists working to optimise arbuscular mycorrhizal associations to improve sustainability in agriculture has demonstrated new insights into how signalling pathways promote symbiotic microbial associations with plants.
Revealing the nanostructure of wood could help raise height limits for wooden skyscrapers
Cambridge researchers have captured the visible nanostructure of wood in its live hydrated state for the first time using an advanced low-temperature scanning electron microscope.
Network and genetic analyses reveal 32 cambium transcription factors
A comprehensive analysis of the transcription factors (TF) that play in the vascular cambium has boosted our understanding of the underlying transcriptional regulation in this important plant meristem through the discovery of 32 cambium TFs.
Seeds, Bees and Pollen was the theme at this year's hands-on exhibition run jointly by the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) and Cambridge University Botanic Garden (CUBG) at Big Biology Day.
Overlap in lateral root and nodule development brings self-fertilising cereals one step closer
A vision of creating crops that do not need chemical fertilisers is one step closer thanks to the recent discovery that a substantial overlap exists in the developmental programmes plants use for lateral roots and nitrogen-fixing nodules.
Once dismissed as ‘junk DNA’ that served no purpose, a family of ‘jumping genes’ found in tomatoes has the potential to accelerate crop breeding for traits such as improved drought resistance.
