“Amazing protein diversity” is discovered in the maize plant 6/24/2016 The genome of the corn plant “is a lot more exciting” than scientists have previously believed. Read the story »
Discovery of new stem cell pathway indicates route to much higher yields in maize, staple crops 5/16/2016 Biologists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory explain how plants regulate the proliferation of their stem cells. Watch the video »
Discovery of new stem cell pathway indicates route to much higher yields in maize, staple crops 5/16/2016 Researchers discover a new regulatory pathway that channels signals emanating from a plant's extremities to the stem cell niche. Read the story »
Ancient gene network helps plants adapt to their environments 2/9/2016 Reseachers discovered the purpose of a tool present in both mosses and flowering plants, organisms whose common ancestor dates back 450 million years. Read the story »
The iPlant Collaborative is now called CyVerse 1/15/2016 The enhanced NSF project will now provide data management and computation across scientific disciplines Read the story »
Saving our food supply with alumna Michelle Cilia 12/11/2015 Dr. Michelle Cilia has made it her mission to understand the bacteria and viruses that strike plants—and how to stop them. Read the story »
Addition of sugars plays a key developmental role in distantly related plants 11/19/2015 Researchers found deleting the genes for enzymes in two plants widely separated in evolutionary time resulted in similar defects. Read the story »
What’s behind million-dollar crop failures in oil palm? Would you believe bad karma? 9/9/2015 A way to prevent damaged plantlets from being grown, to boost yield and reduce tropical land pressure. Read the story »
Scientists pinpoint genes that make stem cells in plants, revealing origin of beefsteak tomatoes 5/25/2015 Researchers identified a set of genes that control stem cell production in tomato, which affects its size. Read the story »
NSF’s Science 360: Nature’s toolkit 12/17/2014 A team of scientists led by CSHL's Zachary Lippman has discovered a set of gene variations that can boost fruit production in the tomato plant. Watch the video »
Getting more out of nature: Genetic toolkit finds new maximum for crop yields 11/2/2014 An array of gene variants provides “breakthrough benefits” in tomato yield for breeders; other crops next Read the story »
Hybrid Vigor 9/29/2014 In 1908, Cold Spring Harbor geneticist Dr. George Shull made a discovery that helped put American science on the map. Watch the video »
Newly identified small-RNA pathway defends genome against the enemy within 3/16/2014 microRNAs are found to target ‘jumping genes’ in reproductive cells, protecting against genomic damage Read the story »
Genetic discovery points the way to much bigger yields in tomato, other flowering food plants 12/26/2013 Scientists learn how tweaking a ‘hybrid vigor’ gene generates higher crop yields Read the story »
Interview with CSHL Professor Rob Martienssen 11/22/2013 Dr. Rob Martienssen leads the plant biology group at CSHL, where he focuses on epigenetic mechanisms that shape and regulate the genome. Watch the video »