Dr Sarah Robinson, Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University: The mechanics of plant development
Science on Sundays is a programme of free, informal, monthly, plant science talks, bringing the latest discoveries in plant science to our visitors in a 30 minute nutshell.
The talk that was scheduled in March has been posted here for you to enjoy at your leisure.
Plants have diverse and interesting shapes. How they grow into these forms is a long-standing question in biology.
Plant growth is a physical process where the walls that the plant cells are embedded in, must soften to allow them to expand. The nature of this softening is controlled by the pattern of gene expression. As some regions soften and expand more than others, the shape of the tissue begins to change.
Dr Sarah Robinson’s lab team study the physical changes that occur during this growth using a small robotic device which enables precise forces to be applied to living plant tissues. This robot is attached to a confocal microscope so the team can visualise the gene expression in the cell at the same time as applying forces. This enables them to relate gene expression and cellular events with the changes in physical properties associated with growth.
Join Sarah at her Science on Sunday talk below to discover more.
Online talk: The Mechanics of Plant Development
Science on Sundays
A programme of free, informal, monthly drop-in plant science talks, bringing the latest discoveries in plant science to our visitors in a 30 minute nutshell.
As access to the Garden is restricted this year due to COVID-19, we have had to cancel these talks in person, however we are trying to deliver some virtually, as above. Please check the website and social media for updates, thank you.
Suitable for adults and children aged 12+
Talks run monthly March to August
Further talks:
19 April now online Prof Beverley Glover, Director, Cambridge University Botanic Garden: How does one plant species become two?
17 May now online Dr Gita Yadav, Department of Plant Sciences: Unpacking Plant Chemical Arsenals
19 July now online Dr Sebastian Eves-van den Akker, Department of Plant Sciences: The overlooked enemy: nematode worms eating the plants from under our feet
16 August online soon Dr Chantal Helm, Cambridge University Botanic Garden: Exploring wildlife diversity at CUBG and why it matters
