Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Lothar Kalmbach @lkalmbach.bsky.social · 2d

… still worth listening to - if you speak German.

Lothar Kalmbach @lkalmbach.bsky.social · 2d

The paradox of AI accelerationism and the promise of public interest AI | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

This reads like a much shortened (and less panic-y) version of a recent podcast from German public broadcaster DLF: Tech Bro Topia | podcasts.apple.com/ch/podcast/t...

The paradox of AI accelerationism and the promise of public interest AI

Over the past 3 years, the idea that artificial intelligence (AI) development should be accelerated without restraint to drive radical societal change—a phenomenon known as AI accelerationism—has gain...

www.science.org

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Reposted by Lothar Kalmbach

nikogeldner.bsky.social @nikogeldner.bsky.social · 6d

A long road to the Cover of Science!
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Localized glutamine leakage drives the spatial structure of root microbial colonization

Plant roots release exudates to encourage microbiome assembly, which influences the function and stress resilience of plants. How specific exudates drive spatial colonization patterns remains largely ...

www.science.org

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Reposted by Lothar Kalmbach

Merissa Huei-Hsuan Tsai @hueihsuantsai.bsky.social · 7d

Very excited to see our @nikogeldner.bsky.social lab x Feng Zhou lab work featured on the cover of Science!
(1/5) We reveal how root architecture and nutrient leakage shape spatial patterns of microbial colonization, moving beyond traditional models of uniform exudation.

Science Magazine @science.org · 7d

Using precise spatial and temporal analysis, researchers in Science provide insight into how bacteria around the root interact both with the plant and with each other.

Learn more in this week's issue: https://scim.ag/3WgNajk

A confocal microscopy image shows root-colonizing bacteria clustering around an emerging lateral root, where localized glutamine leakage induces spatially confined reporter activity.

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Lothar Kalmbach @lkalmbach.bsky.social · 2d

Congratulations Merissa! Such an exciting story!!

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Zoe Nahas @zoenahas.bsky.social · 14d

Happy to share slightly late that the main work of my PhD is now published! How do plants regulate the number + location of growing branches 🌳🌲? We used experiments and mathematical modelling to study how local and systemic signals are integrated during shoot branching regulation. A thread:

PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 23d

How do #plants dynamically modulate their shoot branching for optimal returns? ‪@zoenahas.bsky.social‬ &co show that BRC1 modulates bud competitiveness by reducing #auxin efflux, integrating hormonal cues to fine-tune branching patterns @plosbiology.org @slcuplants.bsky.social 🧪 plos.io/4pnrwY2

2-node explants capture key properties of bud regulation. Top left: A stem segment with two axillary buds illustrates two regulatory hubs controlling shoot branching (i) local expression of the transcription factor BRC1, a repressor of bud activation, and (ii) systemic regulation of the auxin transport network. A canalization-based model of shoot branching postulates that bud activation requires the establishment of canalized auxin transport from the bud into the main stem, the dynamics of which is influenced by autocatalytic feedback in auxin flow between the bud and the stem, and the relative auxin source and sink strengths of the bud and stem, respectively. The relationship between BRC1- and auxin-transport-mediated regulation is not known. Bottom left: Arabidopsis bud activation occurs in at least two phases: a slow-growing lag phase, then a switch to rapid outgrowth. Typical timescale 10–12 days. Right: Diagram illustrating the four possible growth outcomes for bud activation on 2-node explants, and their representation in a Mitchison plot. Mitchison plots present the length of the top bud versus that of the bottom bud over time in each explant. Explants where at least one bud grows are termed active, otherwise, they are inactive. Within active explants, there are three possible outcomes: both buds grow, or only either the top or the bottom bud activates.

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Lothar Kalmbach @lkalmbach.bsky.social · 16d

News on PILS & ERAD! Big congrats to @seinabnoura.bsky.social @kleinevehnlab.bsky.social and colleagues!

KleineVehnLab @kleinevehnlab.bsky.social · 18d

1/ 🌱 When plants face stress, they often suppress growth to save resources.
In our new Science Advances paper, we reveal how: plants repurpose their ER quality control machinery (ERAD) to regulate auxin compartmentalization and thus growth.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

ERAD machinery controls the conditional turnover of PIN-LIKES in plants

Plant ERAD machinery governs the turnover of auxin transporters involved in developmental and stress responses.

www.science.org

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Lothar Kalmbach @lkalmbach.bsky.social · 16d

Congratulations! Exciting news! Many years ago I was a student there! Lots of fond memories. I’m looking forward to what’s coming from your group in the years to come!

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nikogeldner.bsky.social @nikogeldner.bsky.social · 22d

Call for a tenure-track position at our Department of Plant Molecular Biology in Lausanne! We are searching for promising early-career researchers in the broad field of plant-organismal interactions. Deadline: November 30, 2025 - Please re-post!

career5.successfactors.eu/career?caree...

Career Opportunities: DBMV: Tenure Track Assistant Professor towards Associate Professor in the field of Plant-organism (22484)

career5.successfactors.eu

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Lothar Kalmbach @lkalmbach.bsky.social · Sep 5

Congratulations!

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Lothar Kalmbach @lkalmbach.bsky.social · Sep 5

Such great news! Congratulations!

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Reposted by Lothar Kalmbach

Tonni Andersen @tonnigrubeandersen.bsky.social · Sep 1

Six years ago, I started at the MPIPZ with a head full of ideas. What a journey. I’m thrilled to share that, from Jan 2026, I will be moving to Zurich as a chaired associate professor at the University of Zurich.
A new chapter, and plenty of roots still to grow. Can’t wait for the adventure ahead!

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Reposted by Lothar Kalmbach

Martin Pacesa @martinpacesa.bsky.social · Aug 27

Exciting to see our protein binder design pipeline BindCraft published in its final form in @Nature ! This has been an amazing collaborative effort with Lennart, Christian, @sokrypton.org, Bruno and many other amazing lab members and collaborators.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Rodrigo Reis @rodrigoreislab.com · Aug 25

My lab's very first manuscripts are out!!!!

- We identified nearly 60 conserved RNA structures in plastids #chloroplast #RNA
- We found that transcriptional response to warm temperatures in whole seedling is confounded by response at organ level #thermomorphogenesis

Link to both preprints below

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Lothar Kalmbach @lkalmbach.bsky.social · Aug 25

Congratulations, Rodrigo! 🎉🍾

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Andreas P.M. Weber 🌾🌱🧬 @apmweber.bsky.social · Aug 22

How amino acids are transported in plants | EurekAlert! www.eurekalert.org/news-release...

@hhu.de @franzikuhnert.bsky.social @weberlab.bsky.social @ceplas.bsky.social

How amino acids are transported in plants

Plants produce all amino acids essential for human life. This commonly occurs in specialised cell organelles, so-called plastids. A research team headed by Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (H...

www.eurekalert.org

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Lothar Kalmbach @lkalmbach.bsky.social · Aug 8

3rd: "What Keeps the Lights On" about what's behind electricity. www.thenewatlantis.com/publications... (currently without paywall)

What Keeps the Lights On

North America's electrical system is a miracle, but also kind of a mess. Blackout is always closer than you think.

www.thenewatlantis.com

Reposted by Lothar Kalmbach

Molecular Plant & Plant Communications @mplantpcom.bsky.social · Aug 5

Oligosaccharide Elicitors in Plant Immunity: Molecular Mechanisms and Disease Resistance Strategies #review #PlantCommunications cell.com/plant-commun...

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Reposted by Lothar Kalmbach

Plantae.org @plantaeofficial.bsky.social · Jul 23

📅New #PlantSciEvents Event Added: 11th International Symposium on Root Development🌱

👉 buff.ly/Y29T13z

#PlantScience

11th International Symposium on Root Development

(2026) Mon 4 May, 4:00 PM - Thu 7, 1:00 PM [EDT]: Rooting 2026 is the upcoming edition of a well-established symposium that brings together scientists from diverse fields, including plant…

buff.ly

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Reposted by Lothar Kalmbach

mariebarberon.bsky.social @mariebarberon.bsky.social · Jul 22

Very excited that our work on directional symplastic transport in differentiated root is now published!A developmental switch controls cell-to-cell transport in roots via pectin-linked plasmodesmata changes: Molecular Plant www.cell.com/molecular-pl...

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Lothar Kalmbach @lkalmbach.bsky.social · Jul 22

Paper 🚨!!
Plasmodesmata transport first in both, then only in one direction in roots! Congratulations to Lea and @mariebarberon.bsky.social !!

Molecular Plant & Plant Communications @mplantpcom.bsky.social · Jul 22

A developmental switch controls cell-to-cell transport in roots via pectin-linked plasmodesmata changes #research #MolecularPlant cell.com/molecular-pl...

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Charles Melnyk @charlesmelnyk.bsky.social · Jul 8

How do plants decide the fate of a wound and what to regenerate? Water availability! Abdul Kareem and colleagues show that regeneration outcomes after tissue cutting are controlled by water. A 🧵/n 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Water availability positions auxin response maxima to determine plant regeneration fates - Nature Plants

This study reveals that water availability at the wound determines plant regeneration outcomes. High water availability induces root regeneration whereas low water availability triggers callus formati...

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Lothar Kalmbach

KleineVehnLab @kleinevehnlab.bsky.social · Jul 7

🧵1/
New preprint out!
We reveal that ERAD, a protein degradation pathway, selectively targets intracellular PILS auxin transport facilitators to control growth.
This expands ERAD's role beyond protein quality control, right into developmental regulation.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Reposted by Lothar Kalmbach

martinalegris.bsky.social @martinalegris.bsky.social · Jul 7

🔥Postdoc opportunity 🌱

The Legris lab at the University of Neuchâtel 🇨🇭 is looking for a Postdoc to work on the regulation of branching by warm temperatures. If you have a background on plant physiology and development, and you're interested in shoot thermomorphogenesis, apply now!

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Reposted by Lothar Kalmbach

CATS team (curated by Rozenn Le Hir) @catsteam.bsky.social · Jun 24

📣 Join us for the 3rd Carbon Allocation in Plants Workshop 🇨🌿

🗓️ Oct 27–29, 2025

📍 INRAE Versailles – @ijpb-versaillescly.bsky.social

🌱 Explore carbon flow in plants with top researchers!

🔗 Register: bit.ly/4kYzzrT ⏳ 10th of August

ℹ️ Info: bit.ly/43HpN5P

🙏 Thanks to all partners 👇 see below

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