🌱 New research highlights how AGP and EXO-LIKE genes support brassinosteroid-dependent anisotropic growth in Arabidopsis. The work links these genes to root development, cell expansion, and tissue mechanics — offering new insights into plant growth regulation and crop resilience research.

How do plants know when their cell walls are damaged?🤔 THESEUS1 (THE1) is a key “sensor” that helps plants: 🔎 Detect cell wall stress 🌱 Adjust growth & root development ⚡ Trigger stress responses A new review explores its evolution + what we still don’t know #PlantScience #Arabidopsis #CellBiology

Happy to share a new Nature Communications @natcomms.nature.com paper: “Ancestral functionality and symbiotic refinement of NIN in root nodule symbiosis.” Grateful for the opportunity to contribute and proud to be included among the co-authors: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Why do so many plant gene knockouts show no phenotype? Answer is genetic redundancy New review in @cp-trendsplantsci.bsky.social by Berman, Zylberberg, Mayrose & @eilonshani.bsky.social explores how multiplex CRISPR + comparative genomics can unmask hidden gene functions for better breeding. 👇

Happy to support Jana’s Erasmus+ mobility at NTNU, Trondheim 🇳🇴 Thanks to Muzeum Beskyd for visiting. We discussed links between universities and museums, science communication, and the ongoing ERC Synergy project @hydrosensing.bsky.social, exploring how plants perceive and respond to water stress.

How do roots decide where to grow? New research reveals: ⚡ Calcium signals trigger ROS bursts ⚖️ These balance gravity + mechanical resistance 🌍 Result: roots navigate soil more effectively By tuning cell wall stiffness, plants “feel” their way through the ground. hydrosensing.eu/2026/04/calc...

Learn more about what you need to know before applying for an ERC grant in the 2027 competitions: • Resubmission restrictions • Application rules • Eligibility windows for #ERCStG #ERCCoG 🔗 link.europa.eu/BjTmVt

🌱 Big news! Thorsten Hamann has been elected to the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (DKNVS), a major recognition of his research on how plants sense water. Read more: hydrosensing.eu/2026/04/thor... @hamannlab.bsky.social

“If you see this picture, I don’t have to tell you which direction the wind is blowing.” 🌬️🌳 Thorsten Hamann (NTNU) used this example of plant adaptation to introduce how Brillouin microscopy reveals changes in stiffness and viscosity in Arabidopsis roots under osmotic stress. 📅 Mar 6 #PlantScience

While visiting Regensburg, Ellie had a confidential side project: using a scoring pipeline for flavour, texture, and appearance, she identified top performers with the kind of confidence usually reserved for structure papers. Reviewer 2 has requested a larger sample size and more ice cream controls.

@hydrosensing.bsky.social Integrative sensory profiling and comparative phenotypic scoring revealed substantial functional divergence within the sampled cake population. In a pre-peer-review phase, the findings provide support for a robust structure–function relationship in Regensburg pastry biology

New manuscript out in Cell Reports! Shani lab has develope a multiplexed, tissue-specific CRISPR toolbox for Arabidopsis that overcomes gene family redundancy & enables large-scale,cell-type-resolved genetic screens 📃 www.cell.com/cell-reports... @eilonshani.bsky.social @cellpress.bsky.social

How do plants actually sense water?🤔 This "simple" question is central to plant survival & crop resilience In a new Science Advances paper, our NTNU team uncovers new insights into the mechanisms plants use to detect changes in water availability & translate them into stress signals @science.org

Happy International Women's Day! 🧪 The EMBO #WomenInScience Lectures address issues related to gender and #diversity in #science. Find out more and apply here: https://www.embo.org/funding/lecture-travel-and-childcare-grants/women-in-science-lectures/#WomenInScience#diversity#science#LifeSciences #funding

How do we strengthen trust in science? Public trust keeps science strong. Strong public engagement helps build that trust. A European community of practice on trust in science is now being initiated. Discover more: link.europa.eu/d6kNXT #EUResearchArea 🧪

Our work now on its final version. We mapped the mechanical properties of roots at tissue and single cell levels using Brillouin microscopy and molecular rotors. Additional mutants and stress measurements from what we previously showed in the preprint are included. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

😲 A limestone cave in Western Australia where the Karri tree 🌳roots extend the whole height of the massive cavern in search of nutrients and water. Xero branching in action! 📷💪

1/7 Happy to share that the first publication from my PhD, in which we review the literature about THESEUS1, is now out in @theplantjournal.bsky.social ☘️: doi.org/10.1111/tpj....

Curiosity, adventure and discovery. On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Giulia Giordano, Eleonora Macchia and Géraldine Laloux share what inspired them to choose a career in science, from early curiosity to inspiring teachers. #WomenInScience #GirlsInScience #IDWGS #STEM

Full professor for plant ecology in Regensburg. #plantscience #plantscijobs jobs.zeit.de/jobs/w3-prof...

🌱 How do roots push through compacted soil? A new study in @nature.com shows that soil compaction increases ethylene, reshaping cell wall mechanics in roots hydrosensing.eu/2026/02/ethy... Some key findings📝 • Ethylene activates ARF1 in the root cortex • ARF1 represses cellulose synthase genes 👇

Why are stress-resistant crops still rare? Bridging the gap between discovery and the field buff.ly/gnIupta via @universityofessex.bsky.social #Plantscience

📣 Check out the latest unit in the Teaching Tools in Plant Biology series, “Genomic Analysis of Botanical Collections: Opportunities and Challenges,” blog.aspb.org/new-teaching.... 🌱 #PlantScience

From a tiny model plant to global food systems 🌍🌱 Review in The Plant Cell explores how decades of research on Arabidopsis thaliana have transformed our understanding of plant development. #PlantScience #Arabidopsis #PlantGenomics 👇

🧬🌱 How do cells tune SUMOylation under stress? New study builds a SUMO Cell Atlas of the Arabidopsis root, revealing striking tissue- and compartment-specific regulation of the entire SUMO pathway, and how different stresses rewire it. 📝 To the full paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

🧬🌱 Just added a new paper to the website: A report about a Multi Targeted AmiRNA Cell type-specific Transportome-scale (mTACT) toolbox, a cell type-specific, transportome-scale amiRNA toolbox that overcomes functional redundancy in Arabidopsis. 📝 Here: hydrosensing.eu/2026/01/mtac... 👇

🌿To #grow or not to grow...🌿 This #OpenAccess #JIPB commentary discusses the mechanism by which #plants decide whether stop or continue growing under fluctuating #environmental conditions. doi.org/10.1111/jipb... @wileylifesci.bsky.social #PlantScience #botany #evolution #ClimateChange

2026 UK plant biomechanics workshop on 17th April 2026 in Nottingham. Abstract submissions deadline is 13 Feb, and registration is open. 🌱🧪🌿🔬#PlantSci

🌱 How do maize roots know where water is in dry soils... and why don’t all crops do this equally well?? Recap of the #HS Science paper "Moisture-responsive root-branching pathways identified in diverse maize breeding germplasm"💧🌿 📄 Full paper: www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1... 👇 1/3

🌱 How do plant roots sense and respond to water in the soil? Recap of hashtag#HS Journal of Experimental Botany review that synthesises current knowledge on hormonal control of root growth–water interactions💧🌿 📄 Full paper: academic.oup.com/jxb/article/76/7/1987/8011474 👇

🌱⚡🔬#RootStressWeek Tree age affects key fine root morphological traits but does not interfere strongly with (ecto-)mycorrhizal traits by Yu Qin and co-authors in @annbot.bsky.social #freeaccess article 👉 doi.org/qj59 #RootBiology #PlantStress #RootPhysiology #PlantScience

What is hydrotropism?💧 Hydrotropism is how plant roots find water. Roots don’t just grow straight down. They can sense where water is in the soil & grow toward wetter areas. This helps plants get the water they need to stay alive, especially when the soil is very dry. Think of it like this👇

Can we tackle antimicrobial resistance or predict future pandemics? The first panel of our #OneHealth conference will focus on innovation in surveillance and diagnostics, health systems and more! 👉 buff.ly/bqvaXlW @cassandrakoh.bsky.social @pasteur.fr @engelmal.bsky.social @epidemy.org

Rooting for roots? #PlantScience Join us online for the Mini Symposium of the International Society of Root Research @rootscientists.bsky.social Register here for free: tinyurl.com/yzeddrjx Programme👇

🌾 How plants adjust root architecture under drought? Recap of #HS paper in Current Biology! 🌱 Read the study: doi.org/10.1016/j.cu... Study showed that ABA helps crops (eg rice & maize) grow roots at steeper angles in response to drought by boosting local auxin production at the root tip. 1/4

Celebrating Plant Science Excellence: 2026 Rank Prize in Nutrition The Global Plant Council warmly congratulates Professors David E. Salt and Martin Broadley on receiving the 2026 Rank Prize for Nutrition. buff.ly/S5pa3jP via Rank Prize #PlantScience

Our Hydrosensing partner NTNU hosted yesterday a fascinating lab webinar exploring the delicate relationship between the plasma membrane and the cell wall... and why studying it can truly test a scientist’s patience! Great insights from W Häger & M Tichá and great discussions followed 🌱🔬

Plantae Presents – Figuring It Out: Creating Figures That Communicate Science plantae.org/plantaeprese... via @plantaeofficial.bsky.social

Places still available for @embo.org Lab Leadership for #Postdocs online/in-person courses in January! Take time to focus on your interpersonal skills, discover tools to support your development + tune up your communication skills. Sign up now: www.embolableadership.org/course/embol... #EMBOLabLead

18 months into #HYDROSENSING learning about water sensing & droughts response & it shows: 🧬 15 publications (more coming) 🔬 CRISPR libraries + protein structures underway 🌾 Work advancing in Arabidopsis, tomato & rice models 🌱 40+ scientists collaborating Read more: hydrosensing.eu/2025/12/hydr...

Great session yesterday with Andrew Fleming from @sheffielduni.bsky.social He gave our researchers a fascinating look at stomatal mecanics & the role of stomata in plant function, which was especially insightful for those of us who usually focus on roots🌱 Thank you Andy for an inspiring talk!

Dr. Malcolm Bennett will be speaking about “Discovering how plants sense water stress” this Wednesday, 26th of November at Auditorio Abate Molina, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas UC, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile 🔸 Wednesday, 26 November 🕙 10:00 hrs

Relationship between hydrological restoration & the recovery of vegetation communities in boreal forestry-drained peatlands 📊🧪 Uses data on 👉species communities 👉water-table level 👉porewater quality ...before restoration & 2, 5 & 10  years after it! 🌎 🔗 doi.org/10.1111/1365...

In today’s meeting, Malcolm Bennett went member by member through the research updates from the @uniofnottingham.bsky.social team, discussing methods, results, and how these connect with the work of others across the extended Hydrosensing team. Lots of food for thought. Exciting times ahead 😉

The 2026 plant science conference travel award program is open! Awards are given to student/mentor pairs. At lease one of the pair must be a member of SACNAS or MANRRS or AISES. Please share, applications due by Dec 5, 2025. @sacnas.bsky.social rootandshoot.org/2026-root-sh...

Huge congratulations to our colleague and PI Malcolm Bennett, named among Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers 2025 in Plant & Animal Science! One of only 7 UK researchers in this field! 👏👏👏 Beyond being an outstanding scientist, he’s also a truly supportive and kind colleague. We’re so proud!!

Working in plant health and want showcase your achievements? Then why not apply for our new Plant Health Professional Development Award! Visit the award webpage to find out more: www.rsb.org.uk/plant-health... #PlantHealth

We’ve just hit the 1/3 mark on the project, good time to pause & ask: what’s working, & what could be better? At our last meeting, the ECRs led the discussion, PIs listening in. Everyone agreed the ECR meetings have been a strength a space to share the basics of each team’s work & discipline 💬

Join us for the EMBO | EMBL Symposium 'AI and biology' 🤖🧬 Explore how AI transforms biological research – from foundation models for biology to generative modelling 🧠💡 10 – 13 March 2026 EMBL Heidelberg and Virtual Submit your abstract: s.embl.org/ees26-02-bl #EESAIBio #AI

Nanocosmos: Faster Than Your Quickest Thought! "Physik goes Downtown Night 2025" featured science presented by speakers from RUN that was truly mind-blowing. They delivered fantastic talks about the movement of atoms at speeds that completely redefine "quick"! www.uni-regensburg.de/physik/schul...