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Fully funded PhD studentship to investigate rewiring root regulators for rhizobia-legume symbiosisCambridge Biosciences DTP PhD Programme  |  Available Targeted Projects  | How to ApplyApplications are invited for a fully-funded PhD studentship with the University of Cambridge and the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew to investigate the rewiring root regul…

New research that has created the first three-dimensional (3D) computational model of a large mitotic spindle is providing crucial insights into how a plant cell divvies up genes when dividing in two. The mitotic spindle is a molecular machine that helps separate chromosomes during cell division. Interactions among the component parts – largely mic…

Flowers use adjustable ‘paint by numbers’ petal designs to attract pollinators Flowers like hibiscus use an invisible blueprint established very early in petal formation that dictates the size of their bullseyes – a crucial pre-pattern that can significantly impact their ability to attract pollinating bees.  The study, by researchers at the Univers…

Much of what we know about plant circadian rhythms is the result of laboratory experiments where inputs such as light and temperature can be tightly controlled. Less is known about how these biological timing mechanisms operate in the more unpredictable natural world where they evolved to align living things to daily and seasonal cycles.A pioneerin…

Scientists discover entirely new wood type that could be highly efficient at carbon storageResearchers have identified an entirely new type of woodthat does not fit into either category of hardwood or softwood.Scientists from the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University andJagiellonian University, Poland made the discovery while undertaking an evo…

Advanced biosensor uncovers role of gibberellin in integrating light signalling and stem growth in plantsAdvancements in biosensor technology are now letting us observe previously undetectable plant hormones orchestrating growth and responding to environmental stimuli in real-time within living plants.New research from the University of Cambridge t…

Next generation biosensor reveals gibberellin’s critical role in legume nitrogen-fixation – paving the way for more productive legume crops and self-fertilising cerealsResearchers at the University of Cambridge demonstrate that the plant hormone gibberellin (GA) is essential for the formation and maturation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules in legume…

Alexander Jones was recognised for his outstanding contributions to plant science in the Rising Stars in Plant Sciences 2024 Award. Alexander and his team are developing in vivo biosensors that are revealing hormone dynamics in plants at high resolution.The Rising Stars in Plant Sciences Award has been hosted annually by Molecular Plant and its sis…

International Day of Plant Health - How to develop strategies for healthier cropsOn the UN’s International Day of Plant Health (12 May), Sebastian Schornack highlights why prioritising plant health should be at the top of every government’s policy agenda and discusses innovative strategies under development to bolster plant resilience.Is there anyt…

Spider mites on Arabidopsis thaliana. Images by Irene Rosa-Díaz.Plants utilise drought stress hormone to block snacking spider mitesRecent findings that plants employ a drought-survival mechanism to also defend against nutrient-sucking pests could inform future crop breeding programmes aimed at achieving better broadscale pest control.Using an adva…

Jehnna Yang is exhibiting a novel plant-inspired plastic-free textile at the 2024 Milan Design Week. Yang is pictured examining the woolly farina of the alpine plant, Dionysia tapetodes, under a Keyence microscope at the Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge. Image by Harry Lusty.Plastic-free mountaineering clothing inspired by alpine plants unveiled at …

The formulation of the ABC model of flower development 30 years ago was a seminal event that continues to inform and inspire. This review by Edwige Moyroud and John Bowman, traces back the history of the ABC model, the milestones and draws attention to some of the "unsolved riddles still hidden in the floral alphabet." A wonderful narrative of the …

Secrets of soil-enriching pulses could transform future of sustainable agricultureFebruary 10 marks World Pulses Day. World Pulses Day was established by the UN General Assembly in 2019 to raise awareness of the nutritional importance of pulses: a group of edible grain legumes that are part of the bean family (scientifically known as Leguminosae or…

LSH genes are required for the development of nodule primordia that can support bacterial colonisation: Confocal image of WT and lsh1/lsh2 roots 24 and 72 hpi with S. meliloti (n > 30 per genotype and time point). The root was spot-inoculated with Sm2011 imaged at 72 hpi. Sm2011-mCherry bacteria in red, cell walls in white (fluorescent brightener),…

Katharina Schiessl will head a new research group at the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) focused on understanding how organ diversity of plants can be reshaped by their colonisers.Dr Schiessl’s research, combines developmental genetics, quantitative deep tissue imaging and genome-scale profiling approaches. She aims to understand h…