Rachael DeTar

Big news from our lab: we can now stably edit the genome of a parasitic plant! Transgene-free, genome-edited P. japonicum in one generation! This will transform how we study #parasiticplants and other hard-to-transform plants.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Proud to be a coauthor on this paper from @kunzlab.bsky.social.
Congrats, Lorenz, I hope they put Ironman on your graduation cap!

Reshaping Organellar Translation and tRNA Metabolism: The Consequences of Photosynthesis Loss and Massive Horizontal Gene Transfer The transition to holoparasitism in plants precipitates the loss of photosynthesis, fundamentally altering the selective landscape acting on organellar genomes. These changes raise questions about the...

Great collaboration with the Sanchez-Puerta lab and colleagues! @lfceriotti.bsky.social @organelledchaos.bsky.social @jumpinggenomes.bsky.social @chusteckisci.bsky.social @achristensenphd.bsky.social (and others not on bsky)

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

I learned something surprising today- apparently Colorado State charges everyone for parking- even people with disabilities/people with mobility issues? It seems unfair people with disabilities have to pay just to be able to get to campus safely and conveniently. #coloradostateuniversity

I’m a vet for bees – I think I might be the only one in the US Every bee is precious, and as the weather gets more erratic I’m growing concerned about the effect it is having on their wellbeing

“It is the wild bees I’m extremely worried about; they don’t have anyone to care for them - they depend on how well the environment is supporting them.” 😔

Their habitat is being poisoned and destroyed.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The NIH study section I'm serving on for student/postdoc fellowships has been rescheduled for late April (good). But the diversity fellowship apps have been eliminated from the review list (very bad). Extremely frustrating that they couldn't even be reclassified as standard fellowship apps.

DOGE Fired NIH Employees Who Worked on Lab Leak Prevention At least 20 probationary workers in the occupational health and safety division were let go.

Well it's not like that could have negative consequences down the road

www.notus.org/health-scien...

Taste the rainbow!!!

February issue cover showing five bottles displaying different coloured liquids from marine Synechococcus cultures

50 shades of phycobilisome pigments…

The Feb cover features distinct marine Synechococcus cultures displaying diverse color phenotypes due to differences in phycobilisome pigments, incl. a strain capable of Type 4 Chromatic Acclimation, reviewed by Kehoe et al
doi.org/10.1093/pcp/...

#plantscience

But then I don't have an excuse to make banana bread...these plant scientists have gone too far! 🍌🍌🍌

Lost in translation? Chloroplasts can handle slang!
New study from our group at @lmumuenchen.bsky.social with great collabs @plantproteomics-ms.bsky.social @ifink-lab.bsky.social bsky.social‬ @hhu.de @wsupullman.bsky.social https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.07.642005v1 🧵Often assumed

Proud to stand up for science yesterday in Denver, CO. We need funding for basic science to keep America at the forefront of scientific innovation! @standupforscience.bsky.social