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Caspar Chater

@casparchater.bsky.social
373 followers 517 following 9 posts

Plant Scientist. Senior Research Leader, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

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Caspar Chater @casparchater.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Want to know what links stomatal evolutionary development with legume nodulation? Do you love peptide signalling and rhizobia? If so, I hope you love our new paper as much as I do. FREE ACCESS for a couple of months: authors.elsevier.com/c/1nE~A3QW8S...
Epidermal patterning factor-like (EPFL) peptides are regulators of stomatal development across land plants, yet their below-ground functions remain poorly understood. Here, we show that two EPFL family members from Medicago truncatula, MtEPFL9 and MtEPFL14, act as positive regulators of nodule organogenesis during nitrogen-fixing symbiosis. Rhizobia and purified Nod factors transcriptionally induced MtEPFL9 and MtEPFL14 genes in a common symbiosis-signaling-pathway-dependent manner. Exogenous application of synthetic MtEPFL9 and MtEPFL14 peptides promoted root development and root nodule formation by promoting cell division and growth during nodule primordium formation. Synthetic MtEPFL peptides partially restored nf-ya1 mutant nodulation defects and suppressed the nodule-to-root conversion phenotype in the noot1/noot2 mutant. Transcriptomic analyses revealed that MtEPFL9 and MtEPFL14 peptides act on rhizobia-induced programs associated with gibberellin, auxin, and cytokinin signaling. Together, our results identify MtEPFL9 and MtEPFL14 as regulators of meristematic activity and organ growth in nodules and lateral roots of Medicago truncatula and uncover previously unrecognized roles for EPFL peptides as host-derived signals promoting symbiotic organogenesis.
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New Phytologist @newphyt.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Water loss control beyond stomatal mechanisms Perera-Castro et al. nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Response to dehydration of net CO2 assimilation rate and transpiration rate for the studied species.
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Roman Podolec @romanpodolec.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Our work on UV-B perception and signaling in #Marchantia is now out in @plantphys.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1093/plph... Thanks to all authors @yuankeliang.bsky.social @romanulm.bsky.social @grandpahiro.bsky.social #PlantScience
Marchantia gemmaling grown under UV-B
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Journal of Experimental Botany @jxbotany.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
🌱🧬 BRIEF COMMUNICATION 🧬🌱 The soybean nodule-specific cystatin gene GmCYS18 promotes nodulation and nodule development, while the cysteine proteases reversibly inhibited by GmCYS18 inhibit nodulation and nodule development in soybean - Yuan et al. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/... #PlantScience 🧪
Fig. 3.Proposed model for the roles of the equilibrium between phytocystatins and their target cysteine proteases. The double-headed arrow indicates that the relationship between phytocystatins and their target cysteine proteases is a dynamic equilibrium process. The light green box represents the roles of the equilibrium between phytocystatins and their cysteine proteases, which have been reported in previous studies, and the dark green ellipse represents the roles revealed in the present study.
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Hiro Nakagami @grandpahiro.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Conservation and divergence of UVR8 photoreceptor-mediated UV-B signaling in Marchantia polymorpha academic.oup.com/plphys/artic... #Marchantia Congratulations @yuankeliang.bsky.social 🎉@romanulm.bsky.social and all other involved
academic.oup.com
Conservation and divergence of UVR8 photoreceptor-mediated UV-B signaling in Marchantia polymorpha
Plants share an ancient ultraviolet-B perception and signaling system but its regulatory mechanisms have partially diverged.
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Mireia Montes 🍉🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @mireiamontes.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
This seems like a personal attack. YES, I THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA!!!
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Caspar Chater @casparchater.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Out today, our new article 'High-resolution soybean tracing for deforestation-free supply chains': www.nature.com/articles/s43... A @rbgkew.bsky.social international collaboration with World Forest ID, @sheffieldpps.bsky.social and many others, funded by Defra.
nature.com
High-resolution soybean tracing for deforestation-free supply chains - Communications Earth & Environment
Soybean harvest origin in South America can be traced to within 193 km from harvest location, according to a study using chemical fingerprint analysis and Gaussian Process modelling to improve traceab...
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WGDip @wgdip.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Hear what impact Ilia hopes #WGDip will have on the science community and on our understanding of evolution! She is a project co-lead from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 🌟How do you see WGDip impacting your research?🌟 @biggenomes.bsky.social @rbgkew.bsky.social
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 12/04/2026
Hungary election live: Viktor Orbán concedes defeat in Hungarian election after 16 years in power
theguardian.com
Hungary election live: Viktor Orbán concedes defeat in Hungarian election after 16 years in power
Long-serving prime minister beaten by opposition after early results showed clear lead
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Charles Logan @charleswlogan.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
My university: "Copilot is Microsoft's AI-powered productivity service that uses large language models (LLMs) to help you create content, analyze information, summarize documents, and complete tasks more efficiently." Microsoft: LOL
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World Resources Institute @worldresources.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
A surge of new data centers is reshaping local energy grids, water systems and land use. This rapid expansion is often happening with limited public information about the long-term impacts — or benefits — new data centers could bring. Learn more👉 go.wri.org/data-centers... #WorldWaterDay
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Sebastian S. Cocioba @atinygreencell.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Komorebi. I learned a new word today and I wish to add this to my bioengineering toolbox. Quiet beauty is all around us, and we are not here for very long, so go into nature as often as you can. Awe is in short supply, but ample if you look close.
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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Things are not okay.
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Sebastian S. Cocioba @atinygreencell.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Ooof
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Louise V Durham, stained glass and driftwood sculpture, Shoreham by Sea, UK #WomensArt
Rectangular wooden sculpture with rectangular stained glass inlay in rainbow colours, the artwork is sited on a beach on wet sand which reflects the colours of the glass
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Michael Raissig @michaelraissig.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Our Review "Development, Anatomy and Integrated Function of Grass Leaf Veins and Graminoid Stomata" is out doi.org/10.1146/annu... Alec Baird and I discuss the development and function of the anatomical structures that regulate water supply (leaf veins) and water demand (stomata) in the grass leaf.
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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Impressive work from @saschalaubinger.bsky.social and colleagues, describing molecular and phenotypic footprints of climate in transcriptomes of native Arabidopsis thaliana. #plantscience www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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ΜΑΝΟΣ ΤΡΑΧΙΑΣ™ @trahias.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Hayami Gyoshu (Japanese, 1894-1935) Village in Shugakuin, 1918 Ink and color on silk 132 x 97 cm The Museum of Modern Art, Shiga #art #painting #artist #BlueSkyArt
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Rock climbers Lucy Smith and Pauline Rankin of the Ladies’ Scottish Climbing Club, 1908, Salisbury Crags, Scotland #WomensArt Welcome to #WomensHistoryMonth
Monochrome photograph featuring two women climbing on a rock face with ropes both wearing long dresses and hats
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Louise Moillon (c. 1610–1696) French painter in the Baroque era. One of the best still life painters of her time, she was trained by her father as she was unable to attend academies as a woman- who were thought to lack the ability required for artists #WomensArt
Painting featuring a basket of plumbs on a table surface in a dark interior
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Octopus Teapot by Japanese ceramic artist Keiko Masumoto #womensart
Blue and white patterned ceramic teapot in the shape of an octopus with head to the right and legs to the left
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George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
I spent my childhood inside of American concentration camps. I know one when I see one. And that is what ICE is building.
Screenshot of a CNN segment shared by Acyn. A split-screen shows commentator Lydia Moynihan on the left and Kevin O’Leary on the right during a heated exchange. The chyron reads, “Obama: Dems need to avoid scolding and ‘virtue-signaling.’” The post quotes O’Leary referencing China and concentration camps, and McGowan responding about West Virginia.
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FrontRangeWildflowers @frwildflowers.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Apios americana, our Groundnut, blooming in Boulder county #nativeplants #FallBackFlowers #FallBack to August 15 🌿
Pink and red flowers on a long stem
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has said that her pumpkins act as self-portraits. The idea began as her parents owned a plant nursery and she has described the pumpkin as “a spiritual home,” a form in which she sees herself reflected #Womensart
Four paintings in vivid colours featuring a pumpkin created with dots against a brightly coloured background
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SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️‍⚧️ @skwinnicki.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Found an additional graphic that gets even more of these quotes together. I've kept "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" pinned above my desk since I first started studying evolutionary biology as an undergraduate. So relatable to get extremely frustrated with your study system.
Image of Charles Darwin quotes, with the recipient of the letter and the date the letter was written. He said "I hate every wave of the ocean" to W.D. Fox on 15 February 1836, "Oh my God how I do hate species and varieties" to J.D. Hooker in 11 March 1858, "I am very tired, very stomachy, and hate nearly the whole world" to Thomas Huxley on 10 September 1860, "I am very poorly today and very stupid and hate everybody and everything" to Charles Lyell on 1 October 1861, "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" to John Lubbock on 3 September 1862, and "I am languid and bedeviled and hate writing and hate everybody" to J.D. Hooker on 23 June 1863.
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Plant Treaty @planttreaty.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
On #WorldPulsesDay, we celebrate beans, lentils, chickpeas & peas, crops that nourish people & soils.🫘 Through the International Plant Treaty, their genetic diversity is shared globally to support resilient crops and food security. #ItAllStartsWithTheSeed #FoodSecurity @fao.org @cgiar.org
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Caspar Chater @casparchater.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Happy World Pulses Day! Celebrate in style by banging in some beans, lentils, or chickpeas to your lunch and dinner. Top it off by registering for this May's UK Legume Research Community Conference 2026 in Scotland.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 06/02/2026
Mamdani: "I speak of Renee Good, whose final words to the man who murdered her were, 'I'm not mad at you.' I speak of Alex Pretti who died as he lived, caring for the stranger. ICE shot him bc he did something they could never fathom ... let us offer a new path: one of defiance through compassion."
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Huipil, traditional garment created by Ingenous Maya women from the small towns of the Guatemalan highlands, who formed their own union to stop large fashion corporations stealing their designs. #WomensArt
Close-up photo of an embroidered garment with complex patterns and flower motifs in multicolours on a white background
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José Dinneny @josedinneny.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Excited to share our latest review on hydrosignaling: moisture-dependent molecular pathways that help plants grow towards water. Insightful review of the literature and discussion of moisture sensing mechanisms by Will Dwyer and @hhtormar.bsky.social. Enjoy! link.springer.com/article/10.1...
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Knitted botanic art by artist Tatyana Yanishevsky #WomensArt
Photo of knitted round leaves on stems and red blossoms against a cream background
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Emma Mitchell @silverpebble2.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Yesterday was the midway point between the winter solstice & the vernal equinox & today is Imbolc, the pagan celebration of the return of the light. We’re climbing out of winter & the whole botanical calendar (save snowdrops & aconites) is ahead. A very good thought in case you need it today 🌿:
A miniature posy I made from flowers in my garden in a tiny Victorian burst lip bottle
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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
A small breeder's perspective on what the silver lining for #NGT approval in the EU means for them. www.fruitnet.com/eurofruit/co...
fruitnet.com
Comment: A new dawn for innovation – why the EU’s gene editing ruling matters
Steve Nelson, CEO of Plant Sciences Genetics, says the EU's agreement on gene-edited plants marks a turning point for plant breeding innovation
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
'Looking for signs of Spring' by contemporary UK painter Dee Nickerson #WomensArt #February
Landscape painting with trees hills and flying birds
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plantgenomics.bsky.social @plantgenomics.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
A novel phylogenomics pipeline reveals complex pattern of reticulate evolution in Cucurbitales doi.org/10.1101/2023... Out of the blue: Family-wide loss of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Cucurbitaceae doi.org/10.1101/2025... #Genomics #BigData #Evolution #Phylogenomics
doi.org
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Extreme Temperatures Around the World @extremetemps.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Exceptional heat continues in Western Mexico,after a record heat wave in The East. Temperatures in Mexico has almost always reached 38C/100F every day of winter and they have never failed to reach 37C/99F any day. 35C at 1200m asl in the Guerrero highlands.
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Kati Retzer @katarzynaretzer.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
www.rootresearch.org/working-groups the #ISRR organized a minisymposium to introduce all 7 working groups that address different aspects of #rootsscience #roots #plantscience International Society of Root Research @rootscientists.bsky.social
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Ele Willoughby @minouette.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Happy birthday to Kathleen Lonsdale DBE FRS (née Yardley, 1903-1971) 🐡🎢🧪👩🏼‍🔬 #histsci who solved a longstanding #chemistry conundrum of the shape of benzene, here with her drawing of electron density for hexachlorobenzene (green) & model of hexamethylbenzene. Her husband said, “Before prison it might
My linocut with portrait of Kathleen Lonsdale in gradient of lavender at the bottom to indigo at the top. She looks like a serious woman with a big mop of curly hair, round glasses, in a floral shirt and blazer. To her left is her own first drawing of electron density projection calculated for hexachlorobenzene. In front of her in black is her own one crystal model of hexamethylbenzene (with spheres for atoms and bars to indicate bonds or for structure and a small tag).
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Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 28/01/2026
NEW: Expensive gas still biggest driver of high UK electricity bills, says UKERC "Volatile, gas-linked market prices – not green policies, as some misleading claims have suggested – dominate the real-terms increase in bills since 2021." www.carbonbrief.org/expensive-ga...
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plantgenomics.bsky.social @plantgenomics.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
The grain amaranth pangenome reveals domestication-associated changes in diversity and function of structural variation doi.org/10.64898/202... Pangenome of cultivated beet and crop wild relatives reveals parental relationships of a tetraploid wild beet doi.org/10.1101/2023...
doi.org
The grain amaranth pangenome reveals domestication-associated changes in diversity and function of structural variation
Background: Grain amaranth is a nutritious pseudocereal from the Americas that was independently domesticated three times from a common wild ancestor. The three domesticated grain amaranths, their wil...
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
'Avatar Reef' teapot by UK based ceramicist Delfina Emmanuel, who creates work often inspired by marine life #WomensArt
Ceramic teapot covered in what resembles marine plsnt life and coral
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
"Everything changes, nothing is lost", stone mandala by land artist Katie Griesar #WomensArt #NewYear2026
Photo of a beach with close-up of a mandala created with small pebbles on sand as it meets a wave from the sea
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Extreme Temperatures Around the World @extremetemps.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
Record heat continues in Central Africa with 40C in Cameroon,Chad and Nigeria particularly crazy the heat in CAMEROON Today 36.1C in the port of Douala broke its December record Cameroon this months has broken record all month in all regions: North,Plateau,Coast,South.
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Extreme Temperatures Around the World @extremetemps.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
DECEMBER SUMMER IN MEXICO This is also the first time 40C is recorded in December outside the tropics in Northern Hemisphere Summer will continue in January with up to 39C in NW Mexico AND tropical nights in the desert (never happened in January): Records will fall allover from tomorrow
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Dr Alan Montgomery @classicalalan.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Corfe Castle, the model of Corfe Castle in Corfe Castle Model Village, and the model of Corfe Castle in the model of Corfe Castle Model Village in Corfe Castle Model Village.
The ruins of Corfe Castle in Dorset.The model of Corfe Castle in Corfe Castle Model Village.The model of Corfe Castle Model Village in Corfe Castle Model Village.
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Cyntada @cyntada.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
You've seen Elf on a Shelf, now try…
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Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions® (MPMI) @mpmijournal.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Rune Hansen et al. reported that the substomatal cavity is a crucial check point where the devastating Septoria blotch (Zymoseptoria tritici) infection is stopped. Understanding this mechanism is key to future wheat immunity. Learn more: doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-11-24-0147-R
Fig. 1.
Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images of Aegilops cylindrica leaves infected with IPO323 (incompatible) and Zt469 (compatible) Zymoseptoria tritici isolates. Microscopic images from CLSM analysis using maximum projections of image z-stacks. Cell nuclei and plant tissue are visible in purple, and fungal hyphae are in green. Except for the 4 days postinfection (dpi) sample of the incompatible interaction, only fungal hyphae growing within the plant tissue are shown. Letters indicate which infection stage is represented by the images. Time points listed in purple were chosen for RNA sequencing analysis
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Bruno Ngou @brunongou.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
We wrote a review on the mᴏdular properties of plant cell-surface receptors, and how this knowledge can be used to reprogram and engineer them: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
A guide to designing cell-surface receptors in plants
Cell-surface receptors perceive environmental cues and trigger appropriate responses. In plants, these receptors comprise ectodomain, juxta-membrane, …
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Prof Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
Old military air samples revealed DNA, enabling scientists to track moss spores over 35 years. Mosses now release spores up to a month earlier than in the 1990s, and the timing depends more on last year's climate than current spring conditions. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...
sciencedaily.com
Scientists found climate change hidden in old military air samples
Old military air samples turned out to be a treasure trove of biological DNA, allowing scientists to track moss spores over 35 years. The results show mosses now release spores up to a month earlier t...
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