S6.19: Food for the future: Helping plants adapt to a changing world
Hello, and welcome to Genetics Unzipped - the Genetics Society podcast, with me, Dr Kat Arney. In this episode we’re finding out how plants adapt to a changing environment, and how we might be able to give them a helping hand so that we can keep feeding the world sustainably in the future.
If you’re a researcher working in areas of genetics related to food security and sustainability then you’ll want to get yourself along to the next Genetics Society meeting about the Genetics of Future Food production and the Green Revolution 2.0. It’s running from the 7th to the 9th of November 2023 at Newcastle University in the UK, and in-person and virtual registration is still open. There are also some grants available for junior researchers, as well as a carers allowance, to support attendance at the meeting, so head along to genetics.org.uk/event or follow the link on the page for this podcast at geneticsunzipped.com to find out more and sign up.
In recognition of the theme of the meeting, I’ve been chatting to a couple of researchers who are at the cutting edge of understanding how plants respond to a changing environment and how we can help them be fit for the future. First up is Professor Dame Caroline Dean from the John Innes Centre in Norwich, who will be receiving The Genetics Society’s 2023 Mendel Medal at The Genetics Society autumn meeting for her outstanding contribution to plant genetics over many years, particularly in understanding how plants sense when winter is coming and respond to the changing seasons.
Caroline Dean: Winter is coming
As a teenager, Caroline Dean was more into marine life than plant life, having been inspired by the great undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau, and she initially went to university to study marine biology. But a few plant-based practical lessons persuaded her that the green stuff was worth another look, and she became hooked on plant sciences. Fast forward a couple of years, and another chance encounter set her on the path to the scientific question that would come to dominate her research career.
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Giles Oldroyd: Go fertilise yourself
Professor Giles Oldroyd is the director of the Crop Science Centre at the University of Cambridge, where he and his team are investigating how plants interact with microbes like bacteria and fungi to extract nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus from the soil. To understand why that’s so important, I started by taking a step back and asking him to explain the scale of the challenge when it comes to feeding the world.
Click here to read the full transcript…
Coming up from the Genetics Society!
A date for your diary: The Genetics Society’s annual Haldane lecture is being given this year by science writer and broadcaster Adam Rutherford on Wednesday 11th October at the Royal Institution in London. Entitled “Genetics: Standing on the shoulders of prejudice” it will be an exploration of the successes and follies of genetics and how, as we continue to use and celebrate the advances of previous genetic giants like Karl Pearson, Ronald Fisher and JBS Haldane himself, we frequently fail to acknowledge the toxic political views that informed their work.
The Genetics Society Haldane lecture is awarded to people demonstrating excellence in communicating genetics, and as you’ll know if you’ve listened to my previous chats with Adam on this podcast, he’s got that down to a fine art and it promises to be an enjoyable, informative and thought-provoking evening.
Tickets are available now from the Royal Institution website.
For more information about this podcast including show notes, transcripts, links, references and everything else head over to geneticsunzipped.com You can find us on Twitter @geneticsunzip and please do take a moment to leave us a rating in the Spotify app or review us on Apple podcasts - it really makes a difference and helps more people discover the show.
This episode of Genetics Unzipped was written and presented by me, Kat Arney. It’s a First Create the Media production for The Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies dedicated to promoting research, training, teaching and public engagement in all areas of genetics. You can find out more and apply to join at genetics.org.uk. Our theme music was composed by Dan Pollard, and the logo was designed by James Mayall, audio production was by Emma Werner and our producer is Sally Le Page. Thanks for listening, and until next time, goodbye.
