When it comes to macadamia research, we often expect the science to be the complicated part. What is becoming increasingly clear, however, is that macadamia research – similar to a number of other crops – suffers from a variety of challenges which tend to surface before anyone steps into a lab or gets near an orchard. This is because macadamia,
On November 10 we were thrilled to officially launch the ARC Research Hub for Engineering Plants to Replace Fossil Carbon (pictured above). As Director, I am pleased to have this opportunity to share an update with the Plant Success community about how our multidisciplinary team is taking a fresh approach to transforming plant waste into valuable carbon-based products such as jet fuel.
Dr James W Peacock, AC, FAA, FTSE, FRS, Australia’s Chief Scientist, President of the Academy of Science, was a colossus in Australian plant science. He was hugely respected both nationally and internationally, receiving numerous awards and honours. Jim passed away last week, and much will be written by others about his many achievements. He was my boss and mentor for
When I began my PhD, I was fascinated by a deceptively simple question: how do plants turn genes into colours? Walk through any garden and you’ll see the answer shimmering in red petals, purple leaves, or even blue flowers – colours born from anthocyanins. These pigments don’t just decorate plants; they act as antioxidants, sunscreens, and ecological messengers, protecting tissues,
Back Garden Biology — or from little things big things grow (with respect to Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody) On a sunny winter afternoon during a long Melbourne Covid lockdown, I found myself crawling about in the back garden looking for insects with my daughter as part of her home schooling and we chanced upon a liverwort growing between the
While science outreach can be simply about the joy of giving back to the community, it can also be used to support and accelerate your research career. Universities and research centres are starting to prioritise scientific outreach, and considering the unfortunate escalation in public mistrust in science and scientists, this is a wonderful thing. If you ever get frustrated by
Last week was our 2025 Research Retreat, where there was once again a high calibre of posters and presentations from Centre members. This year, we were thrilled to be joined by many invited speakers, including Alison Bentley, Renee Lafitte and Belinda Medlyn, who delivered engaging plenary talks. We were also joined by Tia Squire from Untapped who delivered a fantastic workshop on communication across neurotypes that sparked
The past three years as a postdoc in the Brodribb Lab at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) have been a transformative chapter. After completing my studies in Spain—from undergrad through to PhD—I was lucky to receive a mobility grant from the Spanish government, which launched me into a new adventure overseas. Not only did I relocate geographically, but I also
More than 52 million hectares of Australian land—an area equivalent to eight times the size of Tasmania—is degraded, with severe implications for biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human well-being. In 2022, Australia committed to the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), pledging to restore 30% of this degraded land by 2030, which equates to roughly 15.6 million hectares. Achieving this ambitious goal requires
Welcome to the 41st issue of the Plant Success newsletter! We’re conducting a short anonymous survey to gather feedback – whether you read every issue or just occasionally, we’d love to hear from you. This is your chance to tell us what you enjoy, what you’d like to see more of, and how we can make the newsletter even better
