News & events
News
A plant biologist and geochemist from The Australian National University have both been recognised for their outstanding contributions to their fields of science.
One of the illustrious founder members of RSBS passed away on 11 April 2021. Jeremy David Pickett-Heaps FAA, FRS worked in the (then) Department of Developmental Biology from 1968-70. His surveys of ultrastructural aspects of cell division in green algae (many collected from Lake Burley Griffin and Sullivan’s Creek) led him to a new formulation of the evolution of the Plant Kingdom, a landmark contribution in the plant sciences, now confirmed and fleshed out by sequencing data.
Florence Danila of Australian National University’s ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis has discovered how plants improve photosynthesis by trapping carbon dioxide inside cell layers.
ANU experts have found a way to precisely measure a crop’s water loss through its skin, not just the pores on their leaves.
A new study shows that long-term drought in biodiverse Amazonian tropical rainforest can fundamentally change the soil, increasing the abundance of an unusual group of fungal species that may help the trees resist drought, and by altering the underlying biogeochemistry.
Three researchers from ANU who've changed the way we see the world have been recognised for their ground-breaking work with prestigious awards from The Australian Academy of Science.
Events
Fungal pathogens are a major constraint to global crop production, hence plant genes encoding pathogen resistance are important tools for combating disease.
This event is presented by Plantae, and co-hosted by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology.
Despite the advances in genome sequencing and assembly, detailed annotation of plant genomes is now a bottleneck in genomic analysis and an impediment to realizing the full potential of genome editing for crop improvement.
Rubisco is a critical enzyme in the carbon fixation reactions of photosynthesis, however it is catalytically slow and non-specific.
By 2050, food production may need to increase by up to 70% in order to feed a global population of an estimated 9.7 billion people.
The urgent need to find alternatives to petroleum-based fuels and products is driven by concerns for the environment, dwindling fossil fuel reserves, and the issue of energy security.