ERC SYNERGY Project HYDROSENSING

Compacted soil is a major barrier for roots. Our Nature paper shows how the hormone ethylene reshapes root cell wall mechanics to respond to it. 🌱

📄 New protocol chapter! Colyer, Donaldson, Banda, Bennett & Mehra describe five agar-based systems for studying how roots sense patchy water: hydrotropism, xerotropism, xerobranching & hydropatterning. For Arabidopsis & crops 🌱 Check the protocol: doi.org/10.1007/978-...

If you're not a member of SPPS, we'd like few minutes of your time. An anonymous survey, aimed specifically at non-members and former members. We want to know why. 👉 forms.gle/j1C67GFxVepN... Deadline: Open until 30th of September.

The algorithm just knew you needed this. Explore free online courses from EU-supported projects - whether you are job hunting, studying or learning for fun. All featured courses are in English: link.europa.eu/jJxCGh #SciComm 🧪

Just 4 days left to submit an abstract to present at 'Early Career Essentials for Applied Biologists'🌱 📍Nottingham & Online, 20- 21 Oct Join us to expand your skills & network! 👉 cvent.me/8o1kkP Today we're happy to announce two more speakers! 👇 #plantscience #DEI

The first paper from my PhD student Ewan Drever-Smith is out in @royalmicrosoc.bsky.social's Journal of Microscopy 🔬. COSMIC: a ~£100 open-source illuminator that adds bright field, dark field, fluorescence & quantitative phase imaging to almost any microscope. doi.org/10.1111/jmi....

#DidYouKnow that the first land plants had no roots, just fungal partners and rhizoids? A new "Current Biology" review charts how root systems evolved: from simple lycophyte roots to the plastic architectures that may underpin yield stability in a warming world. 🌱 hydrosensing.eu/2026/08/evol...

Don't miss your chance to present at 🍃 Early Career Essentials for Applied Biologists 🍃 Share your science & build new connections in the wider #plantscience, #agriculture & #ecology community 🌍 📆 20-21 October 2026 📍Nottingham & Online Abstract submission closes 1st September ⏰ 👉 cvent.me/8o1kkP

We are gathering feedback from our readers, authors and reviewers about the use of AI tools in scholarly publishing. Have your say at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZBFC663

New review from HYDROSENSING in "Current Opinion in Plant Biology" The paper maps how ABA and its precursor move between plant tissues, and why the destination decides the response: closing stomata, sealing roots, setting seeds. 🔗 hydrosensing.eu/2026/07/absc...

Inspiring days in Sutton Bonington with Hydrosensing team. Great discussions, slightly too much fancy food, and a Saturday run that turned into an obstacle course, dodging cars that all drive on the wrong side of the road. Great collaborators becoming even better friends. @hydrosensing.bsky.social

(1/2) Open Research Europe is seeking nominations for its new Scientific Advisory Board! They’re looking for internationally recognised researchers with editorial experience and a strong commitment to #OpenScience principles. #SciComm 🧪

Grateful for the opportunity to present my research at the GRC Water and Salt Conference in Switzerland! Great few days of science, discussions, and meeting inspiring people. Big thanks to the organisers for a fantastic conference! @hydrosensing.bsky.social @hamannlab.bsky.social

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...

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

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/ #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...