The specification of embryonic stem cells capable of self-renewing and differentiation into virtually any cell type, is one of the most consequential events in the development of a multicellular organ...

Abstract. Duckweeds (Lemnaceae) present a striking example of convergent genome evolution following the return from land to water. As the smallest and fast

Abstract. Some budding yeasts secrete killer toxins made by linear dsDNA plasmids located in the cytosol. The best-known example is the Kluyveromyces lacti

Parliament has adopted new rules facilitating access to new plants that are climate and pest resistant, give higher yields and require fewer pesticides.

A decision made 70 years ago to reforest vast swathes of Japan with just two kinds of tree has come back to haunt the country.

Helitrons are a recently identified category of transposons. This study reveals that heat stress combined with reduced DNA methylation can mobilize a Helitron family in wheat. Its mobilization is gene...

There are large geographical differences in both how frequently resistant genes occur and in which types of bacteria the genes are found. This is shown by analyses of sewage from throughout the globe,...

A gene from the female pathway was repurposed to determine male sex in tilapia, revealing an unusual evolutionary mechanism.

Preserve and support the U​.​S. National Fungus Collections

Abstract. Obligate parasitic plants often establish symplastic connections with their hosts. This symplastic continuity is mediated by plasma membrane-line

Nature Reviews Genetics, Published online: 19 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41576-026-00976-wRed Queen dynamics describe a mode of evolution in which interacting biological entities continually adapt and counteradapt. This Comment discusses the pervasiveness of these dynamics within genomes, which can involve selfish genetic elements, and highlights building evidence that they can even drive compensatory coevolution among subunits of essential protein complexes.

Lee et al. find that the planarian transposon Burro1 bolsters stem cell resilience by producing a functional host-derived caspase inhibitor during physiological stress. By suppressing apoptosis, activ...

Although DNA has built the framework for molecular insights from museum collections, the utility of archival RNA remains largely unexplored. Likely a consequence of the known instability of RNA relative to DNA, this has effectively precluded the use of herbaria for transcriptomics. Here, we challenge the assumption that herbaria cannot be used for transcriptomics by assembling transcriptomes from RNA extracted from herbarium specimens. Through systematic comparison of transcriptomes from fresh-collected, silica-dried, and archival specimens, we demonstrate the suitability of herbarium-derived RNA for transcriptomics. We show the practical applicability of archival mRNA by functionally validating a plant immune receptor synthesized from a specimen collected in 1956. These results contradict the community consensus regarding archival RNA and open the door to subsequent transcriptomic explorations of rare and extinct plant species. Our findings highlight the importance of preserving and utilizing the diversity embedded within herbarium collections.

Our annual New Phytologist Editor-in-Chief Symposium will be held on Friday, 3 July 2026, at the University of Tartu, home institution of New Phytologist’s Editor-in-Chief Maarja Öpik.

Mycorrhizal symbiosis improves the nutrition of most land plants and plays key roles in nutrient cycling and ecosystem function. To understand and leverage the biology of mycorrhizal symbioses for su...

The authors provide evidence that symbiotic fungi forming widespread arbuscular mycorrhiza symbioses use cross-kingdom RNA interference to silence plant genes and promote their colonization of host ro...

Abstract. The apparent absence of numerous conserved vertebrate genes from avian genomes has puzzled researchers for over a decade. In recent years, a subs

This is open to Home Fee Status candidates only. This PhD project will investigate how RNA modifications influence the activity of topoisomerase I (TOP1), a crucial enzyme that regulates DNA…

Many plant pathogenic fungi penetrate host surfaces mechanically, using turgor pressure generated by specialized infection cells called appressoria. These appressoria develop semipermeable cell walls ...

ABSTRACT The advent of relatively inexpensive tools for characterizing microbial communities has led to an explosion of research exploring the diversity, ecology, and evolution of microbe-host systems...

One of the jobs facing an early-career scientist, and a developing writer, is to learn what their field’s literature looks like. One of the best tools to that end is the journal club. If you’ve nev…