Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Benz

@benz0d.bsky.social

What is amazing about science is that small details can have a huge impact.

December 24, 2024 at 4:03 PM

Reposted by Benz

Dr Ecology 🌲

@ecologyphd.bsky.social

Sharing a new paper led by Gavin Williams related to how giant sequoia cohorts may recruit interactively w/ low severity fire & how "colonnade" structural features may be connected to fire processes.
Graphical abstract & pub link below.
🌎🧪🌾🌿🌲🍁🌱🔥
#PlantScience

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

The century-long era of fire suppression has resulted in dramatic decreases in giant sequoia regeneration and recruitment. A 2001 mechanical disturbance in a native grove created experimental canopy gaps ranging in size from 0.05 to 0.4 ha, where factors of giant sequoia recruitment were monitored. The patches of recruitment all burned in a 2021 wildfire, creating an opportunity to study fire-gap recruitment dynamics. The study questions were (1) what was the relationship between gap size and tree height up to the point of the fire, (2) which tree- and gap-level variables explained mortality amongst the planted trees, and (3) did a pre-fire thin-and-prune treatment increase fire-related crown damage? There was an asymptotic relationship between average tree height and gap size. Increases in gap size beyond 0.2 ha led to only modest increases in average tree height. The overall mortality rate of study trees, averaged across gaps, was 26 %, ranging from 5.0 % to 52 %. A generalized linear mixed-effects model (GLMM) was fit to determine factors of mortality. Taller trees had lower probability of mortality, followed by trees closer to the centers of gaps. The pre-fire thin-and-prune treatment did not have a statistically significant effect on mortality or crown damage. A key finding was that canopy gaps facilitated giant sequoia recruitment by altering the resource environment while also altering patterns of fuel accumulation. Tree height was maximized in gaps greater than 0.2 ha, but gaps as small as 0.05 ha protected interior trees from fire.

December 19, 2024 at 7:17 PM

Reposted by Benz

Botany One

@botany.one

📝 Antarctic Plants Show the Way to Life on the Moon 🧵
https://doi.org/nxmq

Earth's toughest plants reveal potential for transforming lunar deserts into gardens.
#Botany #PlantScience 🧪 #InBrief

What will be the first colonists of other worlds?

Colobanthus quitensis, Antarctic Pearlwort, a small green carpet with tiny white flowers poking through. Image: Patricio Novoa Quezada from Valparaíso, Chile / Wikimedia Commons.

December 21, 2024 at 12:16 PM

Reposted by Benz

Christine R. Lattin, PhD

@clattin.bsky.social

Honestly, a pretty helpful description of what happens to cause cross-bridge formation when calcium is released in muscle 😂 (vertebrate physiology meme courtesy of @lsubiosci.bsky.social undergrad Ralph Junius) 💪 🧪

A version of the "distracted boyfriend" meme where the boyfriend is labeled "actin" the annoyed girlfriend is labeled "troponin" and the girl in the red dress is labeled "myosin head".

December 14, 2024 at 4:56 PM

Reposted by Benz

in silico Plants

@insilicoplants.bsky.social

If you're new to #Bluesky, our #Plant Modelling Scientists starter pack can help you find users you can follow to help you get started:
bsky.app/starter-pack... #PlantScience
Let us know in the comments or DM if you'd like to be added.

November 25, 2024 at 7:45 PM

Reposted by Benz

Molecular Biotechnology – UGent

@mobi-ugent.bsky.social

#CRISPR is revolutionizing plant breeding. However, plant transformation remains an obstacle. The 1st MoBi group we introduce is Plant Transformation & Gene Editing @laurenspauwels.bsky.social studying the processes behind #Agrobacterium mediated transformation & plant regeneration. #plantscience

November 29, 2024 at 3:39 PM

Reposted by Benz

Sonhita 🌞

@sonhita.bsky.social

🔬Early #FluorescenceFriday with one of my favourite #auxin carriers #PIN1, seen here in at the Arabidopsis thaliana root🌱
#plantscience #microscopy #GFP

#sciart #plantscience 🧪🌾🐡PIN1-GFP in Arabidopsis thaliana roots

November 28, 2024 at 7:56 PM

Reposted by Benz

Vinay Shukla

@vinayshukla.bsky.social

Allelic variation in the promoter of WRKY22 enhances humid adaptation of Arabidopsis thaliana
www.cell.com/molecular-pl...
#plantscience

November 30, 2024 at 10:00 AM

Reposted by Benz

Arif Ashraf

@aribidopsis.bsky.social

A nice story about the function of root cap cells as a defense mechanism for restricting microbial invasion in the root.

Root cap cell corpse clearance limits microbial colonization in Arabidopsis thaliana @elife.bsky.social

elifesciences.org/articles/96266

December 2, 2024 at 2:28 PM

Reposted by Benz

Axel Visel

@axelvisel.bsky.social

BOOSTER, a newly identified orphan gene, supercharges photosynthesis and, when overexpressed, boosts height of poplars by up to 200% (at least in greenhouse)

To make it even more interesting, part of the gene seems derived from a poplar fungus-farming ant 🐜

Paper: www.cell.com/developmenta...

Figure from the paper, showing BOOSTER-overexpressing poplar plants that are about twice as tall as the negative controls. Googly eyes (not from original paper) look at the taller plants.

December 4, 2024 at 10:12 PM

Reposted by Benz

heliplants

@heliplants.bsky.social

The absolute hairiest of heli, the super shaggy heliamphora minor pilosa Luna. 🌱

#heliamphora #carnivorousplants #pitcherplants #houseplants #botany #horticulture #nature #plantscience

December 2, 2024 at 7:14 PM

Reposted by Benz

SPS Saclay Plant Sciences

@spsplantsciences.bsky.social

Workshop "Plant science in the Anthropocene" (PLANT), March 24th to April 4th 2025 @ University Paris-Saclay, deadline for applications 17th of December
eng-saclay-plant-sciences.hub.inrae.fr/events/works...
#plantscience

December 3, 2024 at 9:07 AM

Reposted by Benz

S T E V E

@steveloveday1.bsky.social

Here are some fun facts on lithops. The “living stones” of the desert. #plants #plantscience #lithops

December 6, 2024 at 8:30 PM

Reposted by Benz

Tom Heaven

@tcheaven.bsky.social

Our preprint is now live! We have sequenced the genomes of three psyllid species. These insects pests transmit devastating plant diseases like 'zebra chip' in potatoes and 'carrot yellows' in carrots. 🥕

#MolecularEntomology #MPMI #PlantPathology #psyllids #liberibacter

December 6, 2024 at 9:15 PM

Benz

@benz0d.bsky.social

Hey 👋🏾,
I’m a French Student at Clermont University.
I’m Studying Biology cellular and physiology.

I’m hesitating between specializing in human pathophysiology research or plant phytopathology.
I would like to pursue a PhD in an English-speaking country.

If you have any advice, I’m all ears !

December 7, 2024 at 11:32 AM

Reposted by Benz

Ian Weissman, DO

@drianweissman.bsky.social

Like brain cells, kidney cells can form memories
Scientists found memory’s molecular machinery at work in cells outside the nervous system.
www.sciencenews.org/article/brai...

Like brain cells, kidney cells can form memories

Scientists found memory’s molecular machinery at work in cells outside the nervous system.

www.sciencenews.org

November 30, 2024 at 1:15 AM

Benz

@benz0d.bsky.social

Why should we choose a specific domain in science 😫
I love it all

November 30, 2024 at 1:05 PM

Reposted by Benz

Daniel Pomarède

@pomarede.bsky.social

👀 New study reveals the explosive secret of the squirting cucumber

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.eurekalert.org/news-release...

Seed ejection filmed at 8600 frames per second with a high-speed camera, that remained aimed at the fruit for several days, using an image-based auto-trigger set up.