It was Carl Sagan’s birthday last week as well as a major election in the US that needs some perspective. And it is clear that science will need more advocacy and storytelling than ever on our pale blue dot, the only home we have ever known. Getting to Green Aroudn 3.7 billion (3,700,000,000) years ago, … More The Long Green View.
You sit on your couch. Safe. At home. Or so you think. But they’re there. Silently watching. Biding their time. There’s some wind, a scratch at the window. It’s OK, it’s just outside. But they’re inside the house too. Their signs everywhere. Wood walls, the table, the fiber of the couch. They’re touching you through your … More Everywhere Green.
Go for the sun. It’s a prime directive for most plants on Earth. Gather enough light to drive carbon dioxide, an atmospheric gas, into sugars to fuel growth. The rest of the needed ingredients to build a plant come from underground and the roots. To build more roots, however, photosynthesis has to happen. Go for … More Reach For The Sun.
I got back from Plant Biology 2016 in Austin, TX a few days ago and have been trying to dive back into projects there though I also need some rest too. Conferencing is exhausting. That said, conferences and engaging in the online community are worthwhile. Though the meeting was a blur of twitter, attending sessions, … More Plant Biology 2016 reflections.
I’m heading to Plant Biology 2016 in Austin, TX tomorrow and will be writing form there on the ASPB blog and seeking stories of plant science to write about in the coming months. There are also some other writing projects for other blogs and a society magazine I am writing this month, so this space … More Plant Biology, 2016 Austin, TX
If you’re a plant scientist in the UK or EU (or a scientist of any kind), please do use the comments section below to talk about what Brexit might mean for you and your career. This post can serve as a repository of accounts about how policies impact STEM and vice-versa. Though the precise nature … More Brexit, Science policy, and Unintended Consequences of Trading Lemons.
161 Years Ago In the centuries old St. Thomas Abbey– in the garden and greenhouse– Gregor Mendel tended, crossed, and tracked some 10,000 pea plants (Pisum sativum) through several generations over 7 years. The greenhouse was warm compared to the monastery where his chambers were. The monastery was constantly damp and cool, originally built as … More 150 Years After Mendel Published His Foray Into Life Science.
This post was also posted on the SciLogs version of The Quiet Branches. Two reports released in the last month talk about the state of plants. One was the more narrowly focused National Academies report on GE crops,Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects (@NASciences_Ag, #GECropStudy; 1,420 hits on Google in the past month, 92 on … More Plants Matter. Two Reports Highlight Their State– and Ours.
One of my favorite podcasts is Flash Forward, created (& hosted) by Rose Eveleth. She explores a potential future and then comes back to the present to discuss how plausible it is and the implications of a future like that, and just what that future says about our present world. So with that in mind, … More Chez GMO
Just what does science know? Does science even matter? Where does wonder and curiosity fit into a world where science now often seems to play the role of wet blanket? And just what are the best practices for communicating science to fellow scientists and other audiences alike? Those are a few of the questions I … More Engagement, Wonder, and no easy answers at the AAAS meeting.
The Quiet Branches 