News Archive

Brainstorm in Brisbane creating real world solutions on food security
Jul 2nd, 2019
World experts in food security are meeting this week in Brisbane to address one of the most urgent challenges humanity is currently facing: how to improve crops to feed the growing population while dealing with the devastating impacts of drought, water insecurity and climate change.

“This Conference aims to connect with people whose common goal is real-world solutions for global food production challenges, including scientists, regulators, growers, agri-businesses, students, policy makers, and other future-focused experts and leaders," says...

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Jan Anderson Award for Dr Monika Murcha
Jun 25th, 2019
Dr Monika Murcha has been awarded The Australian Society of Plant Scientists (ASPS) Jan Anderson Award, one of the Society's premier research awards.

School of Molecular Sciences group leader, and ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology's Monika Murcha has been awarded the esteemed Australian Society of Plant Scientists (ASPS) Jan Anderson Award for 2019.

In its second year, the Jan...

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Walk inside a plant cell or glide over a coral reef: three ways virtual reality is revolutionising teaching
May 14th, 2019
Article published in The Conversation UK by John Pickavance, PhD Researcher in Cognitive Science, University of Leeds. PEB have been working with John to see VPC used in the UK for education.

You’ve probably heard how Virtual Reality (VR) is going to change everything: the way we work, the way we live, the way we play. Still, for every truly transformative technology, there are landfills of hoverboards, 3D televisions, Segways, and MiniDiscs – the...

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Researchers reveal an ancient family of tiny protein passengers
Apr 16th, 2019
Researchers have discovered a new family of tiny proteins in plants hiding inside other, much larger and unrelated proteins.

Vicilin is one of several very abundant seed proteins. The researchers from The University of Western Australia's School of Molecular Sciences and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology showed how several hundred million years ago, some...

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Owen Atkin announced 2019 Entrepreneurial Fellow
Apr 10th, 2019
Plant biologist and Head of the Plant Sciences Division at the ANU Research School of Biology, Professor Owen Atkin, has been named the 2019 Vice-Chancellor's Entrepreneurial Fellow for his work around entrepreneurial agri-technology.

Over the past 18 months, Professor Atkin has worked to bring ANU and AgriTech companies closer together to foster industry collaboration in the area of crop sustainability as a result of a changing...

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Discovery to help wheat cope with salty soils
Mar 26th, 2019
West Australian scientists have discovered two enzymes that explain the sensitivity of wheat plants to salty soils.

The findings could lead to advances that strengthen crops against salinity, an issue costing WA farmers more than $500 million a year.

Published this week in the journal

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Virtual reality makes learning about plant science fun
Feb 4th, 2019
A ground-breaking virtual reality program created by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology (PEB) takes students on an exciting immersive journey through the cells of plants, usually too small to be seen, and highlights plant research that is contributing to global food security.

Virtual Plant Cell (VPC) is being trialled with school students at Trinity College, taking the cutting-edge virtual reality technology into the classroom and providing a fun, interactive educational experience for them.

PEB Science Communications...

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Plants don’t like touch: green thumb myth dispelled
Jan 18th, 2019
Researchers have found that plants are extremely sensitive to touch and that repeated touching can significantly retard growth.

The findings, just published in The Plant Journal, could lead to new approaches to optimising plant growth and productivity – from field-based farming to intensive horticulture...

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Australia to host 1200 of the world’s leading plant molecular biologists
Jan 15th, 2019
A group of 60 plant scientists, led by Associate Professor Joshua Mylne from the University of Western Australia, together with The Cairns Convention Centre have successfully secured the 2021 Congress of International Society for Plant Molecular Biology (IPMB).

The Congress is an important, triennial meeting supported by IPMB and the American Society of Plant Biologists and is expected to attract over 1,200 of the world’s leading plant molecular biologists and agricultural corporations.

The successful...

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It looks like an anchovy fillet but this ancient creature helps us understand how DNA works
Nov 29th, 2018
Today a large international consortium of researchers published a complex but important study looking at how DNA works in animals.

The research focused on a marine organism, a creature called amphioxus (also known as “the lancelet”), to explore some of the steps that took place as animals evolved from invertebrates (animals without a backbone) to more complex back-boned vertebrates, including...

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Vice-Chancellor's Commendation for Derek Collinge
Nov 20th, 2018
Congratulations to Dr Derek Collinge, recipient of a 2018 ANU Vice-Chancellor's Commendation, Innovation (Service & Solution).

Story originally published by ANU Newsroom

Dr Derek Collinge has redefined his position as Laboratory Manager for the Australian Research Council...

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Virtual Plant Cell showcase
Nov 19th, 2018
The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology showcased the Virtual Plant Cell, a leading virtual reality (VR) initiative for Australian STEM education during a special event last week.

The showcase, hosted in the state-of-the-art VR facility of partner school Trinity College, aimed to highlight the pioneering work being done for VR education to guests from government, industry and the education sector.

In a special address from the...

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WA research to help farmers make more informed decisions
Nov 13th, 2018
A new partnership between The University of Western Australia (UWA) and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) will see vast amounts of WA agricultural data collected and analysed, at an unprecedented scale, to help farmers make more informed decisions.

Field workers and researchers will compile data on crop varieties, their growth, and how they are impacted by weather conditions, soil varieties and fertilisers. The WA data along with national data will be made broadly available to farmers through the...

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Understanding enzyme could help produce frost-resistant crops
Nov 13th, 2018
Researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology have found that an enzyme in plants, ATP Synthase, plays a critical role in how plants respond to the cold.

The discovery, published in New Phytologist, could be used to produce frost-resistant crops, which would save the agricultural industry millions of dollars every...

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Future Fellowships for Plant Energy Biology researchers
Sep 10th, 2018
A number of researchers from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology have been awarded 2018 Australian Research Council funding.

Dr Caitlin Byrt, at the University of Adelaide has received Future Fellowship funding to decipher how plants control water and salt co-transport.

Her project aims to increase understanding of how plant cells regulate solute...

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Plant Energy Biology’s Eureka Prize finalists
Sep 10th, 2018
Two of Plant Energy Biology’s researchers have been nominated for 2018 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.

Dr Caitlin Byrt, from the University of Adelaide, was announced as a finalist for the Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher, and Professor Barry Pogson, from the Australian National University, is a finalist for the University...

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The Virtual Plant Cell a WA Science Awards finalist
Sep 10th, 2018
The Virtual Plant Cell (VPC) was announced today as a Western Australian Premier’s Science Awards finalist for its engagement of the community in science.

Virtual Plant Cell: Classroom VPC is now being trialled with school students at Trinity College, taking the cutting-edge virtual reality technology into the classroom and providing a fun, interactive educational experience for them.

PEB Science...

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Peter Goldacre Award for Dr Caitlin Byrt
Sep 10th, 2018
Dr Caitlin Byrt has been awarded The Australian Society of Plant Scientists (ASPS) prestigious 2018 Peter Goldacre Award, one of the Society's premier research awards.

Caitlin is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology at the Waite Research Precinct.

Her expertise is in the area of plant biology,...

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Workshopping the energy costs of salinity tolerance in crop plants
Sep 10th, 2018
The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology recently hosted the 22nd New Phytologist Workshop ‘Energy costs of salinity tolerance in crop plants’.

The April workshop, held in Adelaide, aimed to develop an energy budget for the different mechanisms of salinity tolerance in crop plants. Such a budget will serve as a guide to the most cost-effective breeding strategies to increase salt tolerance and yield of...

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Virtual Plant Cell enters an Aussie classroom
Sep 10th, 2018
The Virtual Plant Cell (VPC) is about to enter an Australian classroom as part of an exciting partnership between the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology (PEB) and Trinity College, Perth.

This ground-breaking activity will see educational virtual reality (VR) being used to teach high school science.

Classroom VPC will be run on high-end VR headsets, called Oculus Rifts, allowing a whole class of students to explore the microscopic...

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