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News

Tuesday, 05 Mar 2019

An international study has found a drought alarm system that first appeared in freshwater algae may have enabled plants to move from water to land more than 450 million years ago – a big evolutionary step that led to the emergence of land animals, including humans. 

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Tuesday, 29 Jan 2019

Human error, not human biology, largely accounts for the apparent decline of mortality among the very old, according to a new report by Saul Newman of the Research School of Biology, ANU. The result casts doubt on the hypothesis that human longevity can be greatly extended beyond current limits.

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Two people looking at a plant in a lab
Thursday, 24 Jan 2019

A scientific breakthrough intended to help boost the yields of food crops has solved a long-standing question of how cyanobacteria, known as blue-green algae, builds the carbon-capturing engines called carboxysomes in a protein liquid droplet formation.

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Tuesday, 18 Dec 2018

Fred Chow has dedicated his working life to the study of photosynthesis.

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Tuesday, 18 Dec 2018

Susanne von Caemmerer is recognised as a worldwide expert for using mathematics to represent the process by which plants convert sunlight, gases and water into sugars and oxygen – photosynthesis.

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Thursday, 13 Dec 2018

Sam Periyannan was born and brought up on a small sugar cane farm in Southern India. He never dreamed he would become a crop researcher, rather than a cane farmer.

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Events

A triptych of images showing scientists working with plants in different settings: a greenhouse, a growth chamber, and a laboratory.
17 Jul 2024 | 12pm

The Australian Plant Phenomics Network (APPN, formerly known as APPF) is comprised of nine institutions offering controlled-environment phenotyping facilities, mobile phenotyping units, and field sites strategically spread across Australia’s diverse climate zones.

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A man with glasses smiling at the camera, seated in front of a decorative wooden door.
12 Jul 2024 | 3:30pm

Results show that the processing of a specific module of Photosystem-associated proteins and concomitantly progression of chloroplast biogenesis depend on active photosynthesis early in plant development.

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Nocturnal warming and physiological acclimation in crops - video thumbnail
10 Jul 2024 | 12pm

Global increases in mean minimum temperature (i.e. night temperature) is associated with significant crop yield losses.

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A young woman in a black dress, holding an open posture with a surprised expression, seated in an office environment.
2 Jul 2024 | 12pm

Blumeria hordei (Bh) causes the powdery mildew disease of barley. In resistant barley lines, the RNase-like Bh AVRA effectors are recognized by immune receptors encoded at the barley Mildew locus a (Mla).

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How will plants adapt to a high CO2 world
1 Jul 2024 | 12pm

In this talk I will discuss our progress in understanding the impact of eCO2 concentrations on a forest ecosystem using data from the Free-Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (FACE) site at the Birmingham Institute for Forest Research (BIFoR), and show some recent data of the effects on the nutritional status of seed.

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Development of Indigenous Indonesian pigmented rice - video thumbnail
14 Jun 2024 | 3:30pm

Plant biotechnology has become an essential tool in the effort to enhance global food security. Faced with challenges such as a growing population, climate change, and land degradation, plant biotechnology plays a crucial role in improving food production, quality, and agricultural sustainability.

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