Topic description and stories

Greenhouse gas ‘feedback loop’ discovered in freshwater lakes

04 May 2018

Latest research finds plant debris in lake sediment affects methane emissions. The flourishing reed beds created by changing climates could threaten...

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Research shows first land plants were parasitised by microbes

04 Apr 2018

Relationship between plants and filamentous microbes not only dates back millions of years, but modern plants have maintained this ancient mechanism...

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Saxifraga sempervivum, an alpine plant species discovered to produce "pure vaterite".

Rare mineral discovered in plants for first time

05 Mar 2018

A rare mineral with potential industrial and medical applications has been discovered on alpine plants at Cambridge University Botanic Garden.

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Plant meristems

Plants increase flower production within a day of soil nutrient application

23 Jan 2018

The molecular mechanisms enabling plants to quickly adapt their rate of flower production in response to changing nutrient levels in soil have been...

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Petals produce a 'blue halo' that helps bees find flowers

18 Oct 2017

New study finds “messy” microscopic structures on petals of some flowers manipulate light to produce a blue colour effect that is easily seen by bee...

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Cambridge University Botanic Garden (CUBG)

World's botanic gardens contain a third of all known plant species, and help protect the most threatened

25 Sep 2017

The most in-depth species survey to date finds an “astonishing array” of plant diversity in the global botanic garden network, including 41% of all...

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Study identifies likely scenarios for global spread of devastating crop disease

25 Sep 2017

New research reveals for the first time the most likely months and routes for the spread of new strains of airborne ‘wheat stem rust’ that may...

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African plant scientists develop new skills in Cambridge to tackle problems at home

05 Apr 2017

Lab training workshop and biotech conference, organised by second year Ph.D. student and Gates Scholar, aim to build African research capacity in...

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Daffodil

Plant ‘thermometer’ triggers springtime budding by measuring night-time heat

27 Oct 2016

A photoreceptor molecule in plant cells has been found to moonlight as a thermometer after dark – allowing plants to read seasonal temperature...

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Opinion: The flower breeders who sold X-ray lilies and atomic marigolds

24 May 2016

Helen Anne Curry (Department of History and Philosophy of Science) discusses the history of our fascination with floral novelties.

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Festival of Plants

Cambridge University Botanic Garden Festival of Plants

10 May 2016

Cambridge University Botanic Garden is holding its annual Festival of Plants on Saturday 14 May 2016, offering something for everyone to enjoy: from...

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This microscopic image shows the spores and hyphae of 'friendly' arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus interacting with a plant root.

‘Smoke detector’ enables fungal partnership that allowed plants to first survive on land

18 Dec 2015

A protein that detects hormones in smoke has a much wider and more ancient role in the plant kingdom – detecting microscopic soil fungi which...

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