Rainer Melzer
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ucdflowerpower.bsky.social
Rainer Melzer
@ucdflowerpower.bsky.social
1.2K followers 1.7K following 160 posts
Associate Professor at UCD Dublin.
Plant genetics & development.
Crops, agriculture, hemp, cereals.
Evo-devo, transcription factors.
My views.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
plantevolution.bsky.social
We (Nordborg & Weigel labs) need input on the next generation of genome browsers & data download modes for the #Arabidopsis #1001GenomesPlus project. We have now a curated collection of over 500 long read genomes.

Please help us by filling out this questionnaire: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Next generation of 1001 Genomes Plus browser and data download
Please indicate all features you would like to see in a browser that displays features of completely sequenced Arabidopsis thaliana genomes
docs.google.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
bas-bargmann.bsky.social
Postdoc positions focused on gene editing using protoplasts and plant regeneration for genetic improvement of forest trees at NC State 🌳
jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/225...
Postdoctoral Research Scholar
The Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources has a wide variety of strengths in forestry and natural resources management, policy and economics, environmental science and technology, wildlif...
jobs.ncsu.edu
November 24, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
jxbotany.bsky.social
🧬 SPECIAL ISSUE REVIEW 🧬

Kearly & Nelson discuss historical and modern approaches and their limitations for identifying and characterizing plant short open reading frame-encoded peptides, and how improved techniques are rapidly changing the field 🌱

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...

#PlantScience 🧪
Fig. 1.Overview of gene annotation. Genomes contain several different kinds of coding and non-coding genes, some of which encode functional proteins while others yield functional RNAs. Historically, experimental and computational efforts to annotate genes have frequently overlooked the protein-coding potential of genes with short open reading frames (sORFs), leading to their misclassification as non-coding despite producing a functional sORF-encoded peptide (SEP). Functional genomic, genetic, and biochemical data now support the inclusion of this additional class of SEP genes.
November 22, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
transcription.bsky.social
I'm offering a PhD project together with Sarah McKim on temperature-controlled stomata formation within EASTBIO DTP www.findaphd.com/phds/project... #plantscience #plantscijobs Deadline 15 Feb. Please share/RP
EASTBIO - How plants breathe in a warming world: unravelling temperature control of stomata development at University of Dundee on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - EASTBIO - How plants breathe in a warming world: unravelling temperature control of stomata development at University of Dundee, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
rgleadow.bsky.social
Great PhD opportunity at Sheffield - a key place for plant science for ~ 100 years #PlantScience
plantylisasmith.bsky.social Lisa Smith @plantylisasmith.bsky.social · 11d
Interested in plant development and/or cell walls? We (Sam Amsbury, Andrew Fleming and I) have three PhD positions at the University of Sheffield open for applications until 7th January. We offer a friendly, jointly-run lab, great facilities, an affordable city and proximity to the Peak District!
Details of the three PhD projects on offer: Primed for Protection: Cell Wall Modifications in Plant Defense and Long-Term Immunity, Engineering Stomata: How Shape Informs Function: and Signalling Complexes and Cell Wall Changes during Plant Reproduction
November 17, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
jxbotany.bsky.social
🌸 RESEARCH 🌸

Comparative RNA-seq and metabolite analysis of feminized male cannabis plants revealed alterations in the expression of class B and E floral homeotic homologues and preferential development of sessile trichomes - Garcia-de Heer et al.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...

#PlantScience 🧪
Fig. 1.Inflorescence structures and individual flowers of cannabis plants in the three experimental groups: female flowers (FF), induced female flowers (IFF), and male flowers (MF). Inflorescences and individual flowers were collected on day 21 of flowering. IFF were treated with 1500 ppm ethephon, and FF and MF with distilled water, weekly throughout the flowering period. Note the axillary peduncle of both the IFF and MF and the stalked trichomes of the IFF, as well as the presence of both female and male flowers on the IFF plants. Images of individual flowers of FF and IFF are provided in Supplementary Fig. S1.
November 16, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
biorxiv-evobio.bsky.social
Ecological stoichiometry and life history theory, not the identity of genomic variants, predict rapid adaptation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.11.687836v1
November 13, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
ahancock.bsky.social
Applications due by Dec. 1
ahancock.bsky.social Angela Hancock @ahancock.bsky.social · 20d
I recently moved my lab to Purdue University and am looking for graduate students. We are working at the interface of population genomics, quantitative genetics and functional genomics to understand how plants adapt to extreme environments. Reach out if you would like to discuss potential projects.
PhD advert
November 8, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
maddyseale.bsky.social
Out First Release in @science.org
Exploring how MKK3 variation affects the balance between dormancy and preharvest sprouting in barley:

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

#plantscience
Postdomestication selection of MKK3 shaped seed dormancy and end-use traits in barley
Anthropogenic selection of grain traits such as dormancy has shaped the developmental trajectories of crops. In cereals, shortening dormancy provides rapid and even post-harvest germination, but incre...
www.science.org
November 7, 2025 at 8:59 AM
ucdflowerpower.bsky.social
Maybe we should entertain some counterfactual history when trying to evaluate scientific genius?
Which discoveries would have been made only much later if a particular person would not have existed?
My money is on Barbara McClintock.
Also Gregor Mendel (quite literally rediscovered decades later).
November 8, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
stephenbheard.bsky.social
"The Scientist's Guide to Writing" has a 3rd edition on the way! New chapter on "AI" writing tools (I have opinions...(and evidence)). Updated coverage of preprints, graphical abstracts, humour in titles, and lots more. Watch for it!
The third edition of “The Scientist’s Guide to Writing” is coming your way!
It’s been wonderful to see my book of advice for scientific writers, The Scientist’s Guide to Writing, having some success and helping many writers. Since the first edition was published in 2016, i…
scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
knowablemag.bsky.social
Arabidopsis thaliana was always an unlikely candidate for the limelight. But 25 years ago, the diminutive thale cress launched the botanical world into the molecular era.

✍️ Rachel Ehrenberg

knowmag.org/4hImL8e
How a humble weed became a superstar of biology
Arabidopsis thaliana was always an unlikely candidate for the limelight. But 25 years ago, the diminutive thale cress launched the botanical world into the molecular era.
knowmag.org
November 4, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
gameverband.bsky.social
Ein spannendes Stellenangebot für die #Games-Branche:

Das Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt sucht eine Leitung für das Referat #Games.

Eine Schlüsselrolle für die zukünftige #Games-Förderung und -Strategie des Bundes.
👉 Jetzt bewerben: service.bund.de/IMPORTE/Stel...
Stellenangebot: Ei­ne Lei­te­rin / Ei­nen Lei­ter (w/m/d) für das Re­fe­rat Ga­mes im Bundesministerium für Forschung, Raumfahrt und Technologie
November 4, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
evoldir.bsky.social
The University of Hamburg has opened 14 PhD positions focused on ecological and evolutionary research, including climate change impacts on aquatic populations. Details here: https://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/en/forschung/grk2530/openpositions.html #phd
Open positions
Open positions
www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de
October 30, 2025 at 11:43 AM
ucdflowerpower.bsky.social
Happy Halloween!
October 31, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
ingolfkuehn.bsky.social
We are hiring:

Software and Product Manager (f/m/x) – Digital Twin for Bird Diversity (BirdTwin)

https://recruitingapp-5128.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/3290/Description/2

#job #ecoevojob #xp
AltText unfortunately does not capture the full text. But please follow the link in the main message and then you will get all information in an even more user-friendly way.
October 30, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
moodytomato.bsky.social
The deadline for abstract submissions is TODAY… 😃
gensocuknonseed.bsky.social Genetics Society Non-Seed Plant SIG @gensocuknonseed.bsky.social · Sep 12
Registration for #nonseedUK25 is officially open: www.jic.ac.uk/event/4th-ge.... If you wish to be considered for a talk, please submit your abstract by 30th October. Thanks to @philcarella.bsky.social for acting as local organizer this year 😃
a sign that says open with red lights on it .
ALT: a sign that says open with red lights on it .
media.tenor.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:47 AM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
devoevomed.bsky.social
50 years ago, King & Wilson published a foundational paper that underlies the cis-regulatory paradigm (CRP) of #DevoEvo #EvoDevo, i.e., that *almost* all morphological evolution is driven by mutations in regulatory elements, rather than proteins, and it all arose from simple misunderstanding 🧪 🧵
October 29, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
denard.bsky.social
This preprint shows that the huge recent progress of non-coding effect predictions is likely going to help tremendously in this area. A must read.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 29, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
plantevolution.bsky.social
1/2 Want to become up to date with pangenomes and genome graphs and their history? Check out this fantastic review by @zbao.bsky.social!

Complexity welcome: Pangenome graphs for comprehensive population genomics
#pangenomes #plantscience #genomegraphs
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
October 27, 2025 at 5:53 PM
ucdflowerpower.bsky.social
I think this is one of the most powerful displays of what genetic engineering can do. Flower size and organ identity changed. And flower colour changes in a temporal order.
It shows we really understand flower development to a remarkable extent.
Awesome @nickdesnoyer.bsky.social!
nickdesnoyer.bsky.social Nick Desnoyer @nickdesnoyer.bsky.social · Oct 27
Genetically engineered color-changing Arabidopsis 🧬📷- attempt #3

I think I finally nailed it with this one.
October 27, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
nickdesnoyer.bsky.social
Genetically engineered color-changing Arabidopsis 🧬📷- attempt #3

I think I finally nailed it with this one.
October 27, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
draverbee.bsky.social
I cannot believe our work is finally out there and in @journal-evo.bsky.social ! This was an enormous group effort!

We provide an updated estimate of the number of buzz pollinated angiosperm species, genera, and families, look at consequences for diversification, number of transitions, and more!
Circular phylogeny showing the branching pattern of 30k plant species with lineages with poricidal and non poricidal taxa indicated. A small subset of poricidal taxa are illustrated around the phylogeny.
October 23, 2025 at 5:34 AM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
plantevodevo-ab.bsky.social
🌱 Open PhD Position in Plant EvoDevo 🌱 Thinking about a PhD in plant evodevo? The Becker Research Group (JLU Giessen, Germany) has a fully funded 4-year PhD position in the ICIPS II research unit! 🎓 📍 Where? Gießen, Germany – great research environment & vibrant plant science network.
tinyurl.com
October 23, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by Rainer Melzer
evoroseman.bsky.social
Are you interested in tooth evolution and evodevo? Ben Auerbach and I would like to direct your attention to our new preprint “The inhibitory cascade model and evolution in segmentally organized tissues.” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🦴🐭🐒🧪🦷🧬 @nsvitek.bsky.social @kevinlala.bsky.social
| bioRxiv
bioRxiv - the preprint server for biology, operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a research and educational institution
www.biorxiv.org
October 21, 2025 at 6:28 PM