Enhancing photosynthesis in crop plants: targets for improvement October 10 and 11, 2016. Contributors presented interesting new findings, approaches and techniques, while the outlook and prospect of “enhancing photosynthesis” seems not to have changed significantly over many years. Crop plants rely totally on the same photosynthetic mechanisms as those used by all plants, and some… Continue reading Enhancing photosynthesis | Royal Society Discussion Meeting
Category: Not extinct
The 13th International Colloquium on Endocytobiology and Symbiosis, Kyoto
The 13th International Colloquium on Endocytobiology and Symbiosis was held in Kyoto from September 10 to 14, 2016. A fine poster advertised the colloquium. The organiser was Junichi Obokata of Kyoto Prefectoral University. My painstakingly generous local host was Mitsumasa Hanaoka of Chiba University. I am so grateful to them both, as to the colloquium… Continue reading The 13th International Colloquium on Endocytobiology and Symbiosis, Kyoto
Photosynthetic and Respiratory complexes: from structure to function
Photosynthetic and Respiratory complexes: from structure to function in Verviers, Belgium, from August 13 to 16, 2016. A satellite conference organised by Egbert Boekema and Pierre Cardol. The programme was full of interest. I gave a Plenary Lecture soon after arrival: Redox control of thylakoid protein phosphorylation and reaction centre gene transcription. Molecular recognition redistributes mobile light-harvesting antennae and adjusts… Continue reading Photosynthetic and Respiratory complexes: from structure to function
The 17th International Congress on Photosynthesis Research, Maastricht
The 17th International Congress on Photosynthesis Research. Photosynthesis in a Changing World took place in Maastricht, The Netherlands, from 7 to 12 August 2016. The organisers were Roberta Croce and Herbert van Amerongen. My own contribution, in the session Evolution of Photosynthesis, was about photosynthesis in a radically changing world. It was entitled Conserved two-component transcriptional redox regulation… Continue reading The 17th International Congress on Photosynthesis Research, Maastricht
Photosynthetic electron and proton transport Arnhem 4-7 August
Photosynthetic Electron and Proton Transfer in Plants and Algae took place in Arnhem on the 4th to the 7th of August 2016. Many thanks to the organisers; Anja Krieger, Jeremy Harbinson, and Giovanni Finazzi; as to all participants. My own presentation had the title Redox control of chloroplast protein phosphorylation and reaction centre gene transcription. Regulatory coupling… Continue reading Photosynthetic electron and proton transport Arnhem 4-7 August
Higher Education and Research Bill – what is it for?
This morning I attended a discussion meeting at the House of Lords concerning the Higher Education and Research Bill. In my opinion there is an urgent need to oppose this disastrous Bill. The Convention for Higher Education has produced a summary of the many reasons for doing so. These include, quoting from the e-mail of… Continue reading Higher Education and Research Bill – what is it for?
30 May | Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern
Mitochondria, ageing and separate sexes This seminar was given at the kind invitation of Prof. Dr. Mariusz Nowacki. I received excellent questions and comments from members of an expert audience. There seemed to be agreement on my view of the experiment we should do next. It was a pleasure to meet Mariusz’s lab members, including… Continue reading 30 May | Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern
4 May | Instituto de Neurobiología UNAM
Energy, ageing, fidelity and sex. Oocyte mitochondrial DNA as a protected genetic template A lively audience packed into a small lecture theatre in the beautiful UNAM Campus Juriquilla. Good questions introduced many ideas new to me. I thank Dr Alfredo Varela, the newly-appointed director of the Institute of Neurobiology, for generous hospitality. This included an… Continue reading 4 May | Instituto de Neurobiología UNAM
3 May | Departamento de Bioquímica, CINVESTAV
Regulation of photosynthesis. Control of chloroplast DNA transcription and membrane protein phosphorylation I felt at home in the research laboratory of Dr. Carlos Gómez of the Department of Biochemistry. I saw a French Press, spectrophotometers and fluorimeters, SDS-PAGE, sucrose gradient centrifugation, and cultures of fascinating cyanobacteria. I learned that Spirulina, once a Mexican speciality and… Continue reading 3 May | Departamento de Bioquímica, CINVESTAV
29 April | Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
A formidably well-informed audience volunteered numerous good questions during and after my presentation Energy, ageing, fidelity and sex. Oocyte mitochondrial DNA as a protected genetic template. I sensed a degree of polite scepticism. Good. There is no point in explaining things to people who already agree. Such an appreciative and critical audience is definitely good… Continue reading 29 April | Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México