Find out about our latest news and events.

News

Tuesday, 09 Aug 2022

In a new paper published in Nature Plants, we report on a natural secret that could ultimately be used to help plants thrive while using less water.

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Tuesday, 26 Jul 2022

How do you tell if your plants need water? Recently, I asked this question of a group of about 40 biologists at the Australian National University.

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Friday, 06 May 2022

Researchers have discovered why malaria parasites are vulnerable to some drug therapies but resistant to others, offering scientists another piece of the puzzle in the global fight against the disease.

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Monday, 14 Feb 2022

Making good food choices is necessary both for ourselves and for the planet, says plant scientist Professor Justin Borevitz.

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Tuesday, 02 Nov 2021

While Angus Rae focuses intently on a captivating microscopic world, he is actually working towards a solution for an environmental catastrophe occurring on a global scale.

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Thursday, 22 Jul 2021

A new research centre based at ANU will train the next generation of scientists to develop more resilient crops and significantly grow Australia's agricultural sector.

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Events

22 Jul 2022 | 3:30pm

As sessile organisms, plants have evolved a multitude of mechanisms to acclimate to their environment enabling the plant to optimise development and reproduction, and fight off or resist both biotic and abiotic stresses they may encounter through their life cycle.

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3D molecular structure diagram showing binding sites for Malate/Aspartate and G6P, highlighted in green and blue respectively, with subtype-specific residues in yellow.
11 Jul 2022 | 9:30am

C4 photosynthesis, a carbon concentrating mechanism, evolved as an adaptation to improve photosynthetic CO2 assimilation in terrestrial plants under conditions of low CO2, increased temperatures and varying rainfall patterns.

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A smiling woman with glasses, wearing a black jacket, standing in a sunny park with green trees in the background.
8 Jul 2022 | 3:30pm

Cell-to-cell communication is essential for the co-ordination of responses in all multicellular organisms. One mechanism plants employ as defence against pathogens is restriction of cell-to-cell communication by plasmodesmata closure during infection.

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Circular infographic displaying the Arabidopsis targetome, with sections labeled for conserved and species-specific microRNAs grouped by color.
1 Jul 2022 | 3:30pm

In plants, microRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs of approximately 20-24 nt in length which are involved in post-transcriptional regulation of genes controlling many fundamental biological pathways.

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An artistic image blending a natural watery scene with pebbles and metallic overlays of chemical structures and mushroom-like organisms.
24 Jun 2022 | 3:30pm

Specialised metabolites are one of the major means of how microbes and sessile organisms express extended phenotype for the selective advantage of the organisms —or, more fundamentally, their genes.

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A woman smiling at the camera while crouching in a tomato garden.
17 Jun 2022 | 3:30pm

Natural capital describes the stocks of renewable and non-renewable resources (e.g. plants, animals, air, water, soils and minerals) that produce flows of benefits to people.

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