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Catharina Merchante / Karen

@kmerchante.bsky.social
309 followers 370 following 91 posts

Tenured scientist @ihsmumacsic.bsky.social Curious about how plants adjust translation to adapt to their environment 👩🏻‍🔬🍀Science-Dog-📚-Travel-Nature-🌙-lover

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Reposted by Catharina Merchante / Karen
The Plant Journal @theplantjournal.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐎𝐑-𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 🌱 Edited by @adsteinbrenner.bsky.social @veroglez.bsky.social @isabelmonte.bsky.social @elwirasmakowska.bsky.social 📖 Read the Editorial 👉 doi.org/10.1111/tpj.71135 🔎 Explore the complete Special Issue 👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1...
doi.org
Understanding and engineering receptor–ligand interactions
Click on the article title to read more.
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Itai Yanai @itaiyanai.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Nobel Prize winner Ada Yonath sadly passed away today. She was a legend for her pioneering work on the structure of ribosomes.
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Catharina Merchante / Karen @kmerchante.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
So happy for you! It´s going to be wonderful, @geminiteamlab.bsky.social !!!! Wish you the best of luck 🍀 (though I know you won´t need it 🩷)
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Catharina Merchante / Karen @kmerchante.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
The forgotten 20 million: why is the world neglecting Afghanistan’s girls and women? www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
The forgotten 20 million: why is the world neglecting Afghanistan’s girls and women?
It is shameful that half the country’s population continues to be overlooked by the international community.
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Reposted by Catharina Merchante / Karen
NASA | ESA Space Updates @nasaupdates.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Eclipse Totality hits Spain! #SolarEclipse
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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
A major advice I try to pass on: science is only worth it if you can delight in the discoveries of others. It’s great to make your own discoveries but they are too few to sustain you over the long haul.
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Plant Physiology @plantphys.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
#ASPBPlantPhysMonday #ICYMI
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Plant Science Spotlight @plant-sci.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
🌳🌆Trees can cool cities by up to 18°C but only if planted right. Layered vegetation with trees, shrubs & ground cover works better than trees alone. Local climate & street design matter One size does not fit all. Planting design determines cooling power #plantsci theconversation.com/trees-and-gr...
theconversation.com
Trees and greenery can cool cities by as much as 18°C – but only if they’re the right type
A new study has shown that more vegetation is not automatically better.
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Catharina Merchante / Karen @kmerchante.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
How easy is it to fudge your scientific rank? Meet Larry, the world’s most cited cat | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
How easy is it to fudge your scientific rank? Meet Larry, the world’s most cited cat
“Exercise in absurdity” reveals flaws in Google Scholar’s productivity metrics
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
My quote of the day Knowledge of what is does not open the door directly to what should be. Albert Einstein
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Juan Carlos De la Concepcion @delaconcepcionjc.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
PLEASE SHARE! New job openings in my lab @zmbp-tuebingen.bsky.social. We have a broad interest into the mechanistic basis of how molecular complexes are rewired during cellular development in plants and during invasion by pathogens. 🌱🍄🔬 See details below 👇 #PlantSciJobs
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Catharina Merchante / Karen @kmerchante.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Buck moon 🌕 🩷 Looks a bit like a ribosome to me 🫣
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Literland @literland.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
La razón y el corazón, según Antonio Machado. Proverbios y cantares.
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Literland @literland.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
"Late, corazón. No todo se lo ha tragado la tierra". En memoria del gran Antonio Machado, en el 151º aniversario de su nacimiento.
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GeminiTeamLab @geminiteamlab.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
How does a geminivirus replicate its genome using a pick&mix strategy with host proteins? 🦠🦠🌱🧬 Our new preprint identifies plant proteins repurposed by geminiviruses to carry out rolling-circle replication. Congrats @chaonan123.bsky.social , who spearheaded this work! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee @naascarabidopsis.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Want to propose a scientific, educational, or technique demonstration session at ICAR 2027-Madison? 🌱There are 27 slots for 75' mini-symposia and 60' workshops. 🌱Check out the draft program and consider submitting your session proposal by November 13! www.arabidopsiscommunity.org/icar2027
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Fundación Descubre @fdescubre.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
🌕🌙 En el Día Internacional de la #Luna  En el Séptimo Cielo tienes puedes descubrirla: siempre igual y siempre cambiante a la vez f.mtr.cool/vaajlqwado #E7C #astronomía
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2. Las fases de la Luna: siempre igual, siempre cambiante - El Séptimo Cielo
Aprende a reconocer las fases lunares y en qué momentos del mes y del día se observan, así como las diferencias entre la visión de la Luna desde el norte y desde el sur de la Tierra.
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European Commission @ec.europa.eu · 20/07/2026
¡Enhorabuena, España! 🏆🇪🇸 You played an excellent #FIFAWorldCup 2026, from start to finish. Thank you for inspiring Europe and for bringing the trophy back to our continent.
A group photo of the Spain men's national football team celebrating their victory. The caption reads, "It’s coming to Spain. It’s coming back to Europe."
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Catharina Merchante / Karen @kmerchante.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Splendor in the grass 🩷
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European Commission @ec.europa.eu · 19/07/2026
Spain plays. Europe cheers. 🙌 Good luck tonight, from every corner of the EU. Vamoooos 💪 🇪🇸
Promotional graphic featuring the Spain men's national football team posing for a group photo on the pitch. The text above them reads "¡VAMOS, ESPAÑA!" in large white letters. The European Union flag is in the bottom right corner.
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Catharina Merchante / Karen @kmerchante.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Happy birthday @plantphys.bsky.social !!!! 🎉 100 years, that’s impressive! 🌸🌺🍀🌱
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Titania @titaniasrealm.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Summer romance
Illustration of two ladybirds in a tree on a full moon night. Artist: Fritz Baumgarten (1883-1966)
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RSPB @rspb.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
You look like you need a Puffin. Have a Puffin. 📷️ Sue Wood
A brightly coloured Puffin stands on a rocky ledge, framed by a cheerful spray of daisies and wildflowers. With its orange feet planted firmly and beak slightly tilted, it looks like it’s posing proudly for the camera, as if it knows it’s just brightened up your scroll.
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Itai Yanai @itaiyanai.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
1906 Nobel Prize winner Santiago Ramón y Cajal's 'Advice for a Young Investigator' makes important points: 1. The only thing in your power is your preparation 2. Be suspicious of “brilliance” 3. Be appropriately respectful of authority, but no more 4. Balance concentration and relaxation 🔽
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Trends in Plant Science @cp-trendsplantsci.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
What counts in plant science? #plantscience
dlvr.it
What counts in plant science?
Plant science relies on collaborative, infrastructure-rich, and long-term research, yet evaluation remains dominated by simplified citation-based metrics. This mismatch shapes research culture and incentives. More responsible assessment should combine quantitative indicators with contribution-aware, context-sensitive approaches that better reflect how plant science is conducted.
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences @pnas.org · 10/07/2026
Honoring Antonio García-Bellido, a pioneering developmental biologist whose discoveries of developmental compartments and selector genes transformed our understanding of how genes shape organismal development. Read the PNAS Retrospective: ow.ly/cfZn50ZmvtJ
PNAS – Honoring the life of Antonio García-Bellido
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Thiago Carvalho @cyrilpedia.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
'I would not be talking about the fish that my team discovered if we didn’t have long-term funding that allowed me to fail and learn from failures. The only way I was able to learn from failures was to have long-horizon funding, when I wasn’t being measured from year to year'
issues.org
“I Am an Unabashed Optimist About the Long-Term Future of Science.”
The new president of the National Academy of Sciences talks about learning to see as a scientist and communicating science in a noisy information landscape.
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Titania @titaniasrealm.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Me at 3 am questioning all my life choices
Illustration of an owl lying wide awake in bed, looking very worried. Art by Franco Matticchio.
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Sociedad Española de Biología de Plantas @sebplants.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Karen Merchante, from IHSM, gave the invited talk of the Session 2 in the XVIII RBMP meeting. She talked about translation regulation
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Tamara Hernández-Verdeja @tamara-hverdeja.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Development session #RBMP2026 Catharina Merchants invited talk about translational regulation
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IHSM La Mayora UMA-CSIC @ihsmumacsic.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Karen Merchante (@kmerchante.bsky.social) opens the second session of RBMP2026, explaining the role that selective translation plays in plant development🌱 👏
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Universidad de Málaga @univmalaga.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
La UMA recibe financiación de la Junta para acreditar al @ihsmumacsic.bsky.social como Unidad de Excelencia en Investigación. La propuesta de TELMA e IMECH también se constituye como Unidad de Investigación Competitiva del Sistema Andaluz del Conocimiento.
uma.es
La UMA recibe financiación de la Junta para acreditar al Instituto IHSM ‘La Mayora’ como Unidad de Excelencia en Investigación
La propuesta conjunta de TELMA e IMECH también se constituye como Unidad de Investigación Competitiva del Sistema Andaluz del Conocimiento
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The Plant Cell @theplantcell.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Heat stress induces the formation of unreduced male gametes by targeting translation in Arabidopsis meiocytes (Cédric Schindfessel , Albert Cairo , Pavlína Mikulková , Chunlian Jin , Laura Lamelas , Philip A Wigge , Karel Říha , Danny Geelen) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial
doi.org
Heat stress induces the formation of unreduced male gametes by targeting translation in Arabidopsis meiocytes
TAM regulates the translation of meiotic cell cycle genes under heat stress to prevent premature meiotic exit and ensure ploidy consistency in the natural
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Catharina Merchante / Karen @kmerchante.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Found them on my way to the lab this morning. Terrible photo but 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
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Catharina Merchante / Karen @kmerchante.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
😍 www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
nature.com
Five winning images of scientists at work
From sky to sea, and then back to the lab, here are the top images from Nature’s 2026 photo competition.
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Christine Mayr @christinemayr.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Finally out in @Cellcellpress! Proteins with long IDRs are prone to misfolding during protein synthesis. This is prevented by mRNA 3′UTRs that act as mRNA-based IDR chaperones. www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com
mRNA 3′ UTRs chaperone intrinsically disordered regions to control protein activity
Highly conserved mRNA 3′ UTRs act as co-translational chaperones for intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), preventing inter-domain misfolding and enabling biogenesis of fully active proteins.
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The Plant Journal @theplantjournal.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
📢 Applications are now open for the 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐓𝐏𝐉 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞! Are you an early-career PI? The TPJ Fellowship offers mentoring, editorial board engagement, a £2,000 travel award, & opportunities to contribute to TPJ 📅 Apply by 6 July 2026 More details 👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal... +🧵
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
The Plant Journal: 2026 Fellowship Scheme
The TPJ Fellowship scheme was first launched in 2020, and we are pleased to announce that we have now opened applications for the 2026 TPJ Fellowship scheme.
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Mary Williams @PlantTeaching @plantteaching.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Oh this is so good, please read it. "If we want literate citizens, we will have to rebuild the conditions for literacy deliberately, against the grain of every incentive currently pointed the other way. I know the academy has the will to do that. It also has the obligation." 👏
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The Plant Journal @theplantjournal.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
🔈 New TPJ webinar with the @globalplantgpc.bsky.social 🌱 New Insights from Plant Structural Biology🌱 Explore how structural biology is advancing plant science With Clarisa Ester Álvarez, @cblikstad.bsky.social & @bjornppedersen.bsky.social 🗓️ June 30 ⏰ 15:00 CEST us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
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Post-transcriptional Gene Regulation in Plants - PGRP2026 @pgrp2026.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
⚠️ Last call for #PGRP2026! Tomorrow (5 June) is the final day to: 🎤 Submit an abstract for consideration for an oral presentation 🎟️ Register at the early bird rate If you've been meaning to register or submit your work, now is the time! 🌱 See you at #PGRP2026
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Catharina Merchante / Karen @kmerchante.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
New visiting scholar @ihsmumacsic.bsky.social I’m trying to convince it to do the postdoc with me 🦎
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RSPB @rspb.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
May you stride into your week with the confidence of this Chaffinch not using his wings. #MondayMotivation 📷 Kiran Simpson
In the midst of a determined stride forward, a chaffinch walks across the top  of a mossy branch. The bird's bright orange-brown feathers are ruffled in motion, while its tiny head is held high, exuding confidence. It gives the humorous impression that it has temporarily forgotten its ability to fly, opting instead for a more grounded mode of travel.
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Catharina Merchante / Karen @kmerchante.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
⏳ 5 days to go if you want to opt for a talk!
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Catharina Merchante / Karen @kmerchante.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Noches en el Mediterráneo
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IHSM La Mayora UMA-CSIC @ihsmumacsic.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Nuevo Máster en Biotecnología y Biología Vegetal (UMA-UNIA) en Málaga, que ofrece formación especializada con fuerte orientación experimental, con acceso a los grupos de investigación del IHSM La Mayora UMA-CSIC y sus infraestructuras científicas. + info mbbv.es
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The Plant Journal @theplantjournal.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
The Plant Journal is on 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 🌱 Follow us here 👉 www.linkedin.com/company/the-... Stay updated with journal news, featured papers, and more 💚
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IHSM La Mayora UMA-CSIC @ihsmumacsic.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
🧬🌿 Discover the latest in post-transcriptional gene regulation in plants at PGRP2026 📍Málaga, Spain | 📅 Oct 5–7, 2026 🎤 Outstanding invited speakers 📢 Submit your abstract (talks & posters) 🏆Awards for best presentations ⚠️Limited spot - register early 🗓️Deadline: June 5
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Catharina Merchante / Karen @kmerchante.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
🔊BIG NEWS! The 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 of PGRP2026 is already available! Check it out 👇
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Post-transcriptional Gene Regulation in Plants - PGRP2026 @pgrp2026.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Exciting updates for #PGRP2026 🌱 📑 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐮𝐭! Check out below 👇 ⏳ And 2 weeks left (June 5th) for: 🔹 early bird registration 🔹 abstract submission for oral presentation consideration Register 👉 malaga.congresoseci.com/pgrp2026/index We can’t wait to see you at #PGRP2026!
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Catharina Merchante / Karen @kmerchante.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
She landed on my hand, walked a bit with me, and then left flying 🦋 Sometimes I get to be this lucky 🩷
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