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Department of Plant Sciences

 
Read more at: Article called "Breakthrough" by Nucleic Acids Research
Article called "Breakthrough" by Nucleic Acids Research

Article called "Breakthrough" by Nucleic Acids Research

26 June 2015

Jake Harris, Seb Müller and David Baulcombe together with former colleague Attila Molnar have published an article that has been labelled as a "Breakthrough" by Nucleic Acids Research. The paper involves RNA regulators of gene expression in animals and plants. It reveals how previous methods of analysis give an incomplete...


Read more at: Congratulations to Chris Gilligan and Jim Haseloff
Congratulations to Chris Gilligan and Jim Haseloff

Congratulations to Chris Gilligan and Jim Haseloff

15 June 2015

Chris Gilligan has been awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for "services to plant health in the field of epidemiology”. Jim Haseloff has been promoted to Professor with effect from October 2015. This is in recognition of his key contribution in developing the discipline of Plant Synthetic Biology.


Read more at: Plant Sciences receives Green Impact Silver Award
Plant Sciences receives Green Impact Silver Award

Plant Sciences receives Green Impact Silver Award

12 June 2015

Last Wednesday, Martin Howes , Colin Denston and Simon West attended the Green Impact awards ceremony, hosted at the Sainsbury Lab. As hoped for, the department received the Silver award to add to the Bronze award achieved in 2012. The student auditors that visited the department were impressed with the widespread...


Read more at: Solving the genetic origin of betalain pigmentation
Solving the genetic origin of betalain pigmentation

Solving the genetic origin of betalain pigmentation

2 June 2015

All land plants are pigmented by flavonoids and their anthocyanin derivatives, with one exception. In the order Caryophyllales, which contains the colourful beetroot, anthocyanins have been replaced with a pigment type called Betalains. Collaborative research between the Brockington Lab and colleagues at the University of...


Read more at: Dr Nik Cunniffe wins Pilkington Teaching Prize 2015
Dr Nik Cunniffe wins Pilkington Teaching Prize 2015

Dr Nik Cunniffe wins Pilkington Teaching Prize 2015

22 May 2015

Congratulations to Dr Nik Cunniffe who has been awarded one of the University’s Pilkington Teaching Awards for 2015. This is in recognition of Nik’s outstanding contribution to explaining the delights of mathematical biology to undergraduates. Since his appointment as a Lecturer in 2008 he has taught mathematical modelling...


Read more at: Cambridge seminar on food security, May 2015
Cambridge seminar on food security, May 2015

Cambridge seminar on food security, May 2015

18 May 2015

CambPlants and Global Food Security strategic initiative supported the Tropical Agriculture Association (TAA) East Anglia Branch and the Cambridge Humanitarian Centre seminar on the theme of Assuring food security to 2050, including implications for climate change and biodiversity loss. Papers are presented by Dr Bojana...


Read more at: Microbial consortia preserved for industrial biotechnology
Microbial consortia preserved for industrial biotechnology

Microbial consortia preserved for industrial biotechnology

13 May 2015

Microalgae is a hugely diverse group with a significant biotechnology potential, particularly in the cosmeceutical and nutraceutical market. But we still have much to learn about their biology and exploitability. Prof. Alison Smith’s group in the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge have been looking into...


Read more at: EUSynBioS: growing networks in Synthetic Biology
EUSynBioS: growing networks in Synthetic Biology

EUSynBioS: growing networks in Synthetic Biology

11 May 2015

The European Association of Students and Postdocs in Synthetic Biology (EUSynBioS) founded and chaired by Department of Plant Sciences Postgraduate Student Christian R. Boehm continues to attract international attention. Half a year after its establishment, the student-led initiative embraces a membership base of several...


Read more at: How floral development helps us understand floral evolution
How floral development helps us understand floral evolution

How floral development helps us understand floral evolution

8 May 2015

In a team effort, the Glover and Brockington labs have worked together to write the annual John M. Coulter Review for the International Journal of Plant Sciences. These Reviews are designed to provide a unique opportunity for scientists working at the forefront of their fields to share their own insights and updates on the...


Read more at: CAM: sustainable bioenergy and resilience to climate change
CAM: sustainable bioenergy and resilience to climate change

CAM: sustainable bioenergy and resilience to climate change

7 May 2015

Crops dedicated to bioenergy production have been widely criticised for competing with food production and biodiversity conservation for limited land and water resources. One way to address these conflicts is to shift bioenergy production to low-grade lands that have low biodiversity value. This, however, requires...