Caspar Chater
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casparchater.bsky.social
Caspar Chater
@casparchater.bsky.social
Plant Scientist. Senior Research Leader, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Reposted by Caspar Chater
The extracellular Loop2 domain of the rhizobia outer membrane protein MhOpa22 mediates symbiotic nodulation and nitrogen fixation (Dongzhi Li, Jing Wu, Xiaobo Zeng, Fuli Xie, Hui Lin, Dasong Chen, Lili Wang, Youguo Li) doi.org/10.1093/plph... #PlantScience @aspbofficial
The extracellular Loop2 domain of the rhizobia outer membrane protein MhOpa22 mediates symbiotic nodulation and nitrogen fixation
An extracellular domain of the rhizobia outer membrane protein interacts with the legume host germin-like protein, which plays an essential role in symbiot
doi.org
December 1, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
In Europe, a division is emerging: the south and south east grow drier, including parts of the UK. Meanwhile, the North and North East, including parts of the UK, are growing wetter:

2/6
November 29, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
BSBI @bsbibotany.bsky.social announces winning photographs markavery.info/2025/11/27/w...

Third category: sharing plants with others

Great Reedmace (Typha latifolia), Cambridgeshire by Edward Burden
November 27, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
I am hiring a postdoc to examine the genomic and evolutionary basis of plant microbiome variation in legumes. There are opportunities to gain teaching experience. Chicago is a great city to live in! Please help spread the word.
share.google/gukbzS1zdIx6...
Postdoctoral Researcher in Plant Evolutionary Genomics
The postdoctoral researcher will work in Dr. Michael Grillo’s plant evolutionary genetics lab. The goal of this research project is to understand the genomic basis of plant-microbiome variation in leg...
share.google
October 10, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
A new fossil fungus discovered in Scotland shows evidence of plants and fungi sharing nutrients to survive on land.

The fossil, more than 400 million years old, offers hints about the origin of one of the greatest partnerships in the history of life on Earth.

www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...
Ancient fossil reveals how plants and fungi first developed on land | Natural History Museum
A new fossil fungus discovered in Scotland shows evidence of plants and fungi sharing nutrients to survive on land.
www.nhm.ac.uk
November 20, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
We are delighted to announce Thomas Reviews, a new format for impact at the intersection of plants, people and the planet.

The three inaugural Reviews have been published in Plants, People, Planet today!

Read the Editorial 👇
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

#PlantScience #ThomasReview
November 19, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
Until we recognise that resilience requires inefficiency – that robust systems must have slack – we’re just optimising our way towards collapse. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
After I burned out, physics helped me understand what had happened to me – and to move on | Zahaan Bharmal
I thought hard work equalled success. I had to realise that’s not always how it works, in science or in life, says Google employee Zahaan Bharmal
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
The reason AI is being pushed everywhere is because its merchants realise they are all in a bubble and the only way they can survive is if they get "too big to fail" and get a taxpayer bailout.
NEW: Welcome to the Great AI Bubble. Yes, it’s here. And yes, it’s going to burst.

It’s also got way more in common with the Epstein scandal than you really want to know.

open.substack.com/pub/broligar...
The Great AI Bubble
Yes, it's a bubble. And yes, it's going to burst.
open.substack.com
November 16, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
By combining molecular genetics with cell-ablation experiments, we found that vascular cambium stem cells and xylem-identity cells form an interchangeable unit, a stem cell niche. Meticulous work by @xixizhang9001.bsky.social, Ondrej Smetana, Jing Zhang & Xiaoyu Wang 1/x www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Auxin transport positions stem cells in the vascular cambium during normal development and regeneration | PNAS
The vascular cambium contains bifacial stem cells producing secondary phloem in one and secondary xylem to the opposite direction. In Arabidopsis r...
www.pnas.org
November 14, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
UK science and technology is suffering from a lack of investment, a hostile immigration system, and fragile university finances, reports @cathleenogrady.bsky.social 🧪 #scipolicy
www.science.org/content/arti...
U.K. science sector is ‘bleeding to death,’ lawmakers say in report
House of Lords committee urges government to stem exodus of science and technology companies
www.science.org
November 10, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
Reconsider the potential suspension of Plant Biology Courses at UoN - Sign the Petition! c.org/p5jy2GXHcX via
@UKChange
Sign the Petition
Reconsider the potential suspension of Plant Biology Courses at UoN
c.org
November 8, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
PhD opportunity in plant developmental biology for UK based students of Black heritage!

How do they know when to grow up? Join us at the University of Bristol to find out.

Application deadline Jan 6th

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

#PlantSciencePhDs @blackinplantsci.bsky.social
November 7, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
There's still just about time to apply for this postdoc position - a super cool project and I can highly recommend working with Caspar!

Deadline 02/11/25
October 29, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
Plant scientists Professor Graham Farquhar and Professor Susanne von Caemmerer transformed the world's understanding of photosynthesis, and now they have been jointly awarded the Royal Medal (Biological) from The Royal Society, at a ceremony in London.

science.anu.edu.au/news-events/...
October 27, 2025 at 4:45 AM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
"The 1.5-degree limit is only possible if we ultimately stop burning all fossil fuels.

Not reduce.

Not abate.

Phaseout."

@UN Secretary General @antonioguterres
| #ActOnClimate #climate #energy
October 23, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
"The findings show that the rapid adoption of renewable energy worldwide is not matched by changes in higher education, since universities continue to prioritise coal and petroleum studies"

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The failure to decarbonize the global energy education system: Carbon lock-in and stranded skill sets
The energy transition involves the transformation of professions and labour markets, which in turn depend on the availability of a workforce with the …
www.sciencedirect.com
October 24, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
☀️🌱 RESEARCH 🌱☀️

Maize leaf tips exhibit the lowest photosynthetic recovery post-drought, due to water storage deficits and hydraulic failure, reducing whole-leaf water use efficiency - Liu et al.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...

#PlantScience 🧪
October 23, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
Have you ever seen gold on a flower before?

This is the flower of the carnivorous plant Drosera calycina, which has striking deep red petals and sepals that glitter like gold in the afternoon sunlight.
#ozflora #fierceflora #Droseraceae #wildoz #nativeplants #bloomscrolling #nature
October 21, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
The EU will not now delay the introduction of its deforestation law which is a bit of good news given the war on environmental protections currently underway in Brussels

www.politico.eu/article/brus...
Brussels U-turns on anti-deforestation law delay
The surprise decision follows a string of unexpected changes to the EU’s main tool to end deforestation.
www.politico.eu
October 21, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
We could also frame it like this:

"Refusing to regulate AI will 'kill' the arts industry."
October 20, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
Call for Papers: 2026 Focus Issue on Early Land Plant Evolution – Phylogenetics, Paleobotany, and Evo-devo Physiology. Submission Deadline: 03/2026. academic.oup.com/plphys/pages...

#plantscience
July 21, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
Join us for a PhD in Oxford to decipher how a genetic-hormonal pas de deux drives pea pod growth and development.
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
October 20, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Reposted by Caspar Chater
Leveraging Crop Wild Relatives and Ploidy Level for Climate-Resilient Annual Ryegrass
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

High contiguity de novo genome sequence assembly of Trifoliate yam (Dioscorea dumetorum) using long read sequencing
doi.org/10.1101/2020...

#Crops #Genomics
Leveraging Crop Wild Relatives and Ploidy Level for Climate-Resilient Annual Ryegrass
Leveraging crop wild relatives and chromosome manipulations are powerful tools for developing climate-resilient agroecosystems. Yet, the combined effects of polyploidy and diverse genetic makeup on pl...
doi.org
October 19, 2025 at 6:54 AM