Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺
@plantepigenetics.ch
Head of the Crop Genome Dynamics Group at Agroscope, Switzerland.
Studying plant epigenetics and transposable elements and their use for crop breeding.
Views are my own.
#epigenetics #TransposableElements #breeding #crops #GMO #ClimateEmergency
Studying plant epigenetics and transposable elements and their use for crop breeding.
Views are my own.
#epigenetics #TransposableElements #breeding #crops #GMO #ClimateEmergency
Pinned
Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺
@plantepigenetics.ch
· Nov 17
Current state of EU legislation on crop breeding summed up in one picture. Note that all plants carry the same mutation!
One does not need to be a scientist to understand the this legislation makes no sense. #GMOs #CommonSense @testbiotech
One does not need to be a scientist to understand the this legislation makes no sense. #GMOs #CommonSense @testbiotech
Reposted by Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺
With the 50-year rise of Arabidopsis as the most studied plant, is it time for its downfall?
Let’s investigate it’s history and outlook 🧵
Let’s investigate it’s history and outlook 🧵
November 24, 2025 at 10:36 AM
With the 50-year rise of Arabidopsis as the most studied plant, is it time for its downfall?
Let’s investigate it’s history and outlook 🧵
Let’s investigate it’s history and outlook 🧵
🥔 🌱 Reading about potato breeding I learned: "there has been no genetic gain in potato yield over the last 100 years"
🤯
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
🤯
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 23, 2025 at 6:43 PM
🥔 🌱 Reading about potato breeding I learned: "there has been no genetic gain in potato yield over the last 100 years"
🤯
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
🤯
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
We will need a blockchain system to be able to trace real images in science but also in news etc...
Also, why aren't all AI generated images unequivocally watermarked as such?
Also, why aren't all AI generated images unequivocally watermarked as such?
Image screening is going to fail. We need audit trails for data provenance.
I tried an even harder example on Gemini Pro image generation and this is quite scary/amazing. I asked for a microscopy image of around 20 HeLa cells, GFP tagged 20% nuclear, 10% membrane, +1 nuclear staining, + overlap. Image below and prompt in the following post.
November 23, 2025 at 7:15 AM
We will need a blockchain system to be able to trace real images in science but also in news etc...
Also, why aren't all AI generated images unequivocally watermarked as such?
Also, why aren't all AI generated images unequivocally watermarked as such?
Reposted by Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺
After 10 Fridays, 10 flowers, and 100+ drawings, the Florédex is complete! ✨
Come take a tour of the design and science behind 10 iconic flowers 🌺🧵
Come take a tour of the design and science behind 10 iconic flowers 🌺🧵
November 21, 2025 at 9:59 AM
After 10 Fridays, 10 flowers, and 100+ drawings, the Florédex is complete! ✨
Come take a tour of the design and science behind 10 iconic flowers 🌺🧵
Come take a tour of the design and science behind 10 iconic flowers 🌺🧵
« Far right to the rescue on Europe’s gene-editing revolution »
😳 whaaa???
Why can’t European socialist parties be more supportive of science?
www.politico.eu/article/far-...
😳 whaaa???
Why can’t European socialist parties be more supportive of science?
www.politico.eu/article/far-...
Far right to the rescue on Europe’s gene-editing revolution
Previously ignored, two far-right lawmakers could end an impasse on gene-edited plants.
www.politico.eu
November 20, 2025 at 12:50 PM
« Far right to the rescue on Europe’s gene-editing revolution »
😳 whaaa???
Why can’t European socialist parties be more supportive of science?
www.politico.eu/article/far-...
😳 whaaa???
Why can’t European socialist parties be more supportive of science?
www.politico.eu/article/far-...
I attended a very interesting cybersecurity presentation today. The message is clear: Don’t use closed source software and clouds outside of your jurisdiction.
Conclusion: Get rid of Microsoft products asap.
Conclusion: Get rid of Microsoft products asap.
Schleswig-Holstein will unabhängig von US-Tech werden – und hat sich von Outlook und Word verabschiedet. Wie läuft's? Fragen wir doch mal den Digitalminister des Landes.
Dirk Schrödter: Vermissen Sie Microsoft schon, Herr Schrödter? "Nein"
Schleswig-Holstein will unabhängig von US-Tech werden – und hat sich von Outlook und Word verabschiedet. Wie läuft's? Fragen wir doch mal den Digitalminister des Landes.
www.zeit.de
November 17, 2025 at 9:23 PM
I attended a very interesting cybersecurity presentation today. The message is clear: Don’t use closed source software and clouds outside of your jurisdiction.
Conclusion: Get rid of Microsoft products asap.
Conclusion: Get rid of Microsoft products asap.
Me seeing someone surfing on IGV in the train.
igv.org
igv.org
a close up of a man with a beard and long hair .
ALT: a close up of a man with a beard and long hair .
media.tenor.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Me seeing someone surfing on IGV in the train.
igv.org
igv.org
Reposted by Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺
We are looking for a new colleague and department head for #Horticulture and Landscape #Architecture at #Colorado State #University! #highered #academicsky #agsky #Agriculture. Apply by December 31! jobs.colostate.edu/postings/169...
Professor & Head, Dept of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture
Colorado State University invites applications and nominations for the position of Professor and Head of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture (HLA) in the College of Agricultural ...
jobs.colostate.edu
November 16, 2025 at 10:37 PM
We are looking for a new colleague and department head for #Horticulture and Landscape #Architecture at #Colorado State #University! #highered #academicsky #agsky #Agriculture. Apply by December 31! jobs.colostate.edu/postings/169...
I have been elected as member of the Scientific Council of INRAE! @inrae-france.bsky.social
I am looking forward contributing to the success of agricultural research in France 🇫🇷 🇪🇺 🌾🚜🧬🔬
www.inrae.fr/nous-connait...
I am looking forward contributing to the success of agricultural research in France 🇫🇷 🇪🇺 🌾🚜🧬🔬
www.inrae.fr/nous-connait...
Conseil scientifique
Le conseil scientifique d'INRAE est constitué le 9 novembre 2025 pour un mandat de 5 ans.
www.inrae.fr
November 16, 2025 at 8:48 AM
I have been elected as member of the Scientific Council of INRAE! @inrae-france.bsky.social
I am looking forward contributing to the success of agricultural research in France 🇫🇷 🇪🇺 🌾🚜🧬🔬
www.inrae.fr/nous-connait...
I am looking forward contributing to the success of agricultural research in France 🇫🇷 🇪🇺 🌾🚜🧬🔬
www.inrae.fr/nous-connait...
I am disgusted by our government!!!
Giving gold to a fascist, how is that neutral???
Meanwhile, government workers need to fight hard to keep their jobs and justify every cent they spend.
Giving gold to a fascist, how is that neutral???
Meanwhile, government workers need to fight hard to keep their jobs and justify every cent they spend.
To negotiate a trade deal with the President of the United States, the Swiss government arrived with a "special Rolex desktop clock" and "a 1-kilogram personalized gold bar"
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
How to lobby Trump with Swiss precision: gifts, gold and gab
How the Swiss broke a diplomatic logjam on tariffs by arriving with tributes fit for a king.
www.axios.com
November 15, 2025 at 7:26 PM
I am disgusted by our government!!!
Giving gold to a fascist, how is that neutral???
Meanwhile, government workers need to fight hard to keep their jobs and justify every cent they spend.
Giving gold to a fascist, how is that neutral???
Meanwhile, government workers need to fight hard to keep their jobs and justify every cent they spend.
Reposted by Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺
Switzerland is joining Horizon Europe!
We are uniting two research powerhouses.
For cutting-edge innovation that will boost our energy security, digital transformation, health and so much more.
Today is a good day for science, and for our EU-Switzerland partnership.
We are uniting two research powerhouses.
For cutting-edge innovation that will boost our energy security, digital transformation, health and so much more.
Today is a good day for science, and for our EU-Switzerland partnership.
November 10, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Switzerland is joining Horizon Europe!
We are uniting two research powerhouses.
For cutting-edge innovation that will boost our energy security, digital transformation, health and so much more.
Today is a good day for science, and for our EU-Switzerland partnership.
We are uniting two research powerhouses.
For cutting-edge innovation that will boost our energy security, digital transformation, health and so much more.
Today is a good day for science, and for our EU-Switzerland partnership.
Reposted by Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺
The Double Helix shenanigans are getting a lot of discussion following Watson's death. This article is DJing the rounds. It's a really interesting read. But I'm interested in people's take on it.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:45 AM
The Double Helix shenanigans are getting a lot of discussion following Watson's death. This article is DJing the rounds. It's a really interesting read. But I'm interested in people's take on it.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Racism is a proof for lack of intelligence.
I, for one, won't miss this abject person.
I, for one, won't miss this abject person.
⚫ Le prix Nobel américain James Watson, qui révolutionné la science en découvrant la structure de l'ADN avec son collègue Francis Crick, est décédé à l'âge de 97 ans, a annoncé vendredi le Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), avec lequel il a travaillé ⬇️
November 8, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Racism is a proof for lack of intelligence.
I, for one, won't miss this abject person.
I, for one, won't miss this abject person.
Horse meets cows at Agroscope close to Zürich.
November 4, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Horse meets cows at Agroscope close to Zürich.
If AI was really as good as OpenAI and Meta say, wouldn’t they actually earn tons of money by using it?
As of now they only lose money with no change in sight. A huge bubble.
As of now they only lose money with no change in sight. A huge bubble.
"Spending on data centres, which are filled with Nvidia’s chips, accounted for 92% of US gross domestic product growth in the first half of the year."
Consuming vast amounts of resources and energy. But what _good_ will they do?
observer.co.uk/news/busines...
Consuming vast amounts of resources and energy. But what _good_ will they do?
observer.co.uk/news/busines...
What could possibly burst Nvidia’s $5tn bubble?
Now more valuable than the German economy, the chipmaker has invested in AI ventures with unclear returns
observer.co.uk
November 2, 2025 at 9:47 PM
If AI was really as good as OpenAI and Meta say, wouldn’t they actually earn tons of money by using it?
As of now they only lose money with no change in sight. A huge bubble.
As of now they only lose money with no change in sight. A huge bubble.
Reposted by Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺
🌿🌈 Less than a year for ISPP 2026 in Switzerland! 🇨🇭 Check our website ispp2026.unine.ch for more details.
October 31, 2025 at 5:54 PM
🌿🌈 Less than a year for ISPP 2026 in Switzerland! 🇨🇭 Check our website ispp2026.unine.ch for more details.
Reposted by Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺
This great column from France, details how EU attitudes to ag technology have really harmed crop productivity, at least with corn/maize in that country. wikiagri.fr/articles/fil...
Filières maïs – une troisième année de pertes sans perspectives de redressement - WikiAgri - Actualité agricole
Après trois campagnes 2023, 2024 et 2025 déficitaires, les planteurs de maïs ne peuvent pas se permettre d’achever une quatrième campagne avec un revenu de nouveau négatif. Mais ils sont démunis pour ...
wikiagri.fr
October 31, 2025 at 12:25 PM
This great column from France, details how EU attitudes to ag technology have really harmed crop productivity, at least with corn/maize in that country. wikiagri.fr/articles/fil...
Sure, bit I suggest you start by working to save lives on our planet, submit a project!
✨ Searching for extraterrestrial life or combating speech disorders: The SNSF is awarding #SNSFStartingGrants to 41 outstanding researchers. They will receive a maximum of CHF 1 million to lead a project with their own #research team at a Swiss university. 🚀
ℹ️ sohub.io/aq26
ℹ️ sohub.io/aq26
October 31, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Sure, bit I suggest you start by working to save lives on our planet, submit a project!
The main reasons I see for french universities to underperform at @erc.europa.eu is the way they hire professors: It is not open to true international competition.
Get rid of the “concours” and hire the best in the world and not nationally.
Get rid of the “concours” and hire the best in the world and not nationally.
Coucou @phbaptiste.bsky.social
Vous avez oublié de dire que les taux de succès de l'ERC sont en baisse, certains atteignant à peine 10%. Le nombre de dossiers déposés explose et dépasse largement les fonds disponibles. #ESR
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Vous avez oublié de dire que les taux de succès de l'ERC sont en baisse, certains atteignant à peine 10%. Le nombre de dossiers déposés explose et dépasse largement les fonds disponibles. #ESR
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
October 31, 2025 at 10:00 AM
The main reasons I see for french universities to underperform at @erc.europa.eu is the way they hire professors: It is not open to true international competition.
Get rid of the “concours” and hire the best in the world and not nationally.
Get rid of the “concours” and hire the best in the world and not nationally.
It would be great if researchers would work more on crops than Arabidopsis for a start…
Then field trials will automatically become more common (if legislation permits for GM!).
Then field trials will automatically become more common (if legislation permits for GM!).
New Correspondence: "Rethinking the need for field trials" rdcu.be/eM96P
October 31, 2025 at 6:01 AM
It would be great if researchers would work more on crops than Arabidopsis for a start…
Then field trials will automatically become more common (if legislation permits for GM!).
Then field trials will automatically become more common (if legislation permits for GM!).
Reposted by Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺
China Agrees To Purchase 11 U.S. Soybeans
China Agrees To Purchase 11 U.S. Soybeans
SEOUL—In a historic trade agreement that President Donald Trump touted as a major win for an American farmer, China reportedly agreed Thursday to purchase 11 U.S. soybeans. “I am extremely honored tha...
theonion.com
October 30, 2025 at 9:00 PM
China Agrees To Purchase 11 U.S. Soybeans
Reposted by Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺
#TEsky Do duplication-inducing elements ‘cooperate’ with genes in evolutionary arms races? A case study on cereal crop pathogenesis doi.org/10.1186/s128...
Do duplication-inducing elements ‘cooperate’ with genes in evolutionary arms races? A case study on cereal crop pathogenesis - BMC Plant Biology
Crop improvement depends on the human ability to harness naturally- or artificially-occurring gene variants. Genomic segmental duplication can create redundant gene copies that can more freely ‘explor...
doi.org
October 30, 2025 at 1:25 PM
#TEsky Do duplication-inducing elements ‘cooperate’ with genes in evolutionary arms races? A case study on cereal crop pathogenesis doi.org/10.1186/s128...
Finally I have found the perfect screen to look at sequence alignments!
"You'd expect one of the best-selling home computers in Japan to have a specification list as big as its memory. But the Toshiba HX10 doesn't just limit itself to that." (Source.)
October 30, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Finally I have found the perfect screen to look at sequence alignments!
Europe is the continent that is heating up the fastest and Bill Gates thinks we worry too much.
Are all billionaires so “ill informed”, to put it politely?
Are all billionaires so “ill informed”, to put it politely?
“I mean, God bless the Europeans for caring about climate. You worry they care so much about it that the people you talk to, you won’t be able to meet with them again, because they won’t be in power.” heatmap.news/climate/bill...
7 New Takes From Bill Gates on Climate ‘Doomsday’ Talk and Global Health
“I mean, God bless the Europeans for caring about climate.”
heatmap.news
October 30, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Europe is the continent that is heating up the fastest and Bill Gates thinks we worry too much.
Are all billionaires so “ill informed”, to put it politely?
Are all billionaires so “ill informed”, to put it politely?
Reposted by Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺
📣 A very nice place to learn about TEs and bioinformatics👇
Internship position open at INRAE-URGI for 2026, more details available here www.sfbi.fr/emplois/offr...
Optimisation de la classification automatique des éléments transposables par des approches d’IA | SFBI Société Française de Bioinformatique
Emploi en bioinformatique à None Stage Stage M2
www.sfbi.fr
October 29, 2025 at 12:16 PM
📣 A very nice place to learn about TEs and bioinformatics👇