SEB_Spring 2018_Magazine_ONLINE

PLANT EXTRACTSOCIETY FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY SPRING 2018

The SEB Magazine is published biannually – NEWS & VIEWSSpring and Autumn (hard copy and online)by the Society for Experimental Biology 1and is distributed to all SEB members. WILL YOU SAY “YES” TO OURAdvertising COMMUNICATIONS?........................... 04Advertising in the SEB magazine is a great opportunity PRESIDENT’S LETTER........................ 05to reach a large community of biologists. SEB NEWS....................................... 06For more details contact [email protected] MEMBERS IN THE NEWS....................... 09Design and artwork: HUMANATURE................................... 12Studio Aelia INTRODUCING INDEPTH ..................... [email protected] FROM PROTEOME TO PHENOTYPE:Printing and distribution: ROLE OF POST-TRANSLATIONALSterling Solutions MODIFICATIONS................................14Sterling HouseKettering Venture ParkKetteringNorthamptonshireNN15 6XUTel: 0870 084 2100sterlingsolutions.co.ukContribute with an Article!Interested in writing an article for the SEB magazine.Get in touch: [email protected] for copy:Issue: Autumn 2018Deadline: 31 July 2018SEB Executive Team:SEB Main OfficeCharles Darwin House12 Roger StreetLondon WC1N 2JUTel: +44 (0)20 7685 [email protected] Executive OfficerPamela Mortimer ([email protected])Events ManagerOliver Kingham ([email protected])Head of Marketing, Communicationsand Member EngagementSabina Baba ([email protected])Office AdministratorEsen Celepi ([email protected])Communications AssistantConor Geoghegan ([email protected])SEB Honorary Officers:PresidentChristine Raines ([email protected])Vice PresidentCraig Franklin ([email protected])TreasurerMartin Watson ([email protected])Publications OfficerMartin Parry ([email protected])Plant Section ChairKatherine Denby ([email protected])Cell Section ChairJohn Love ([email protected])Animal Section ChairLynne Sneddon ([email protected])SEB+ Section ChairGeorge Littlejohn ([email protected])SEB Journal Editors:Journal of Experimental BotanyChristine Raines ([email protected])The Plant JournalLee Sweetlove ([email protected])Plant Biotechnology JournalHenry Daniell ([email protected])Conservation PhysiologySteven Cooke ([email protected])Plant DirectIvan Baxter ([email protected])In association with ASPBDisclaimerThe views expressed in this magazine are not necessarilythose of the Editorial Board or the Society for Experimental Biology.The Society for Experimental Biologyis a registered charity No. 273795

FEATURES SPOTLIGHT SEB+234PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR JOURNALS...................................... 32 HOW TO LAUNCH YOUR OWN SCIENCEHEALTH AND NUTRITION..................... 18 SPOTLIGHT ON ALEX LITTLE................ 34 COMMUNICATION SOCIETY....................40 SPOTLIGHT ON STEPHANIE JOHNSON...... 36STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWD.............24 IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO START STANDING UP FOR SCIENCE..................42 COMMUNICATING YOUR SCIENCE TO THE PUBLIC.................................43 USING GRADEMARK TO IMPROVE FEEDBACK AND ENGAGE STUDENTS IN THE MARKING PROCESS....................48 BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN TEACHING AND RESEARCH-FOCUSED LIFE SCIENCE ACADEMICS IN UK .............................50 EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY AT THE SEB.....52 WORKING WITH MARINE PARKS...............53 TRAVEL GRANTS TO GO........................54 MARINE DEBRIS: ARE THERE SOLUTIONS TO THIS GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM? ..................58 NEWS & VIEWS 03

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NEWS & VIEWSWILL YOU SAY “YES” TO OUR COMMUNICATIONS?........................... 04 PRESIDENT’S LETTER........................ 05 SEB NEWS.......................................06 MEMBERS IN THE NEWS....................... 09 HUMANATURE................................... 12 INTRODUCING INDEPTH ..................... 13 FROM PROTEOME TO PHENOTYPE: ROLE OF POST-TRANSLATIONAL MODIFICATIONS................................14 NEWS & VIEWS 05

WILL YOU SAY “YES” TO OUR COMMUNICATIONS? TO CONTINUE TO HEAR A s of 25th May 2018 the new data HOW TO OPT IN FROM SEB YOU WILL NEED protection legislation comes intoTO EXPLICITLY OPT IN TO effect which will limit our ability There are a number of ways for you to opt in.RECEIVE COMMUNICATIONS to communicate with our members.FROM US BY THE 25TH MAY RESPOND TO OUR SURVEY To continue to hear from us and receive updates The SEB recently sent you a personalised survey such as funding opportunities, our newsletter, asking you to select which communications you wish to receive from us. Simply ensure you events news or any other information of complete the survey no later than the 25th May interest to you, you will need to explicitly and we will update your preferences. opt in to receive these by the 25th May. LOG INTO THE MEMBER’S AREA Choosing to opt in to receive communications from us will help keep a global community of You can also manage your subscriptions by biologists connected. It will also enable us to logging into your member’s area and updating keep you informed of all the opportunities that your profile. are available to you through your membership with SEB. STAY CONNECTED TO SEB Ensure that you act before 25th May to opt into our communications. Not opting in means that after this date you will only be receiving membership renewal communications from us. You can change your mind at any time by simply logging into your SEB account and managing your subscriptions. More details are available on our privacy policy published on our website: http://www.sebiology. org/privacy STAY CONNECTED TO SEB AFTER 25TH MAY 201806 NEWS & VIEWS

PRESIDENT’S LETTERCHRISTINE RAINES, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX, HONORARY PRESIDENTTime is moving very T he late summer was very busy at organising a session at our Annual Meeting.quickly and I can hardly the SEB with the recruitment of This year marks the end of our currentbelieve that I have been in our new CEO. I am very pleased to five-year strategic plan and we will be holding athis role for seven months! welcome Pamela Mortimer, who Council Strategy day in November to scope out our direction for the period 2018– 2023. This is has been in post since last November and who an exciting time for our discipline of Biological Sciences and this is reflected by the fact that you will have the opportunity to meet at the SEB membership is growing year on year. I would like to thank you for reading Annual Meeting to be held in Florence, Italy this letter and I wish you a productive and happy 2018. I look forward to seeing you in July this year – you can read more about in Florence! Pamela in our SEB News article (page 06). THIS YEAR MARKS THE END OF OUR CURRENT FIVE- I would also like to take this opportunity YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN! to say farewell and to thank Bennett Young Left Christine Raines for his contribution to SEB through his Photo credit: Gary Manhine role as part of the Journal of Experimental Botany editorial team. Many Plant Biology SEB members will have met Bennett at our Annual Meetings and know him as being both enthusiastic and helpful. Bennett is moving on to take up the role of Managing Editor with the new journal Plants, People and Planet – all best wishes for your future career and hope to see you at future SEB meetings! In my first letter as President I briefly touched on the role of Learned Societies and I just wanted to pick this up to highlight the opportunity that our Annual Meeting provides as a platform for you to network, show off your new and interesting data and to learn about new and exciting findings at the forefront of biological sciences. Our programme for this summer in Florence looks amazing, covering topics at the forefront of animal, plant and cell biology and education and outreach. I would like to thank those who have conceptualised and organised sessions, not forgetting our Section Chairs and members for their enthusiasm and vision in developing and finalising such an excellent programme. I would also like to emphasise the focus that SEB has had over many years on encouraging and supporting early career scientists, so do please get involved - submit an abstract to give a talk or present a poster, this may well provide you with the next step in your career! Attendance at SEB meetings is open to all, but the most economical way to attend our meeting is to be a member of SEB – so do encourage colleagues to join our Society. There are many more benefits of membership of the Society - access to travel funds, opportunities to win awards and, more importantly, to be part of an international community of researchers. You may also want to consider contributing to the Society through serving on one of our Sections – Plant, Animal, Cell or SEB+ - or NEWS & VIEWS 07

SEB NEWS SEB WELCOMES A NEW CEO and jumping and the challenge of precision in dressage lessons. Pamela has also recently completed horse riding holidays in Catalonia and Zimbabwe. Pamela said: ‘I am delighted to have joined the excellent team at the SEB and look forward to working to make ‘extraordinary connections’ with the staff, trustees, members and companion organisations to promote experimental biology in the UK and internationally.’ CONGRATULATIONS TO TINA BEDEKOVICBY ESEN CELEPI The SEB is delighted to announce the Congratulations to Dr Tina Bedekovic on theAND CONOR GEOGHEGAN appointment of its new CEO - Pamela Mortimer. recent completion of her PhD! Pamela joins the SEB having spent the last 08 NEWS & VIEWS 5 years as Executive Director of the Royal The commensal fungus, Candida albicans, Astronomical Society. Pamela grew up in can cause fatal bloodstream infections by Edinburgh and her relationship with science producing invasive filaments that lead to sepsis began with an undergraduate degree in and internal organ failure. During her PhD chemistry at the University of Strathclyde. project, Tina investigated how the penetrative She then spent six years holding microbiology behaviour of these filaments is controlled at and entomology Scientific Officer roles within the molecular level. Tina’s work focused on the the Ministry of Defence. It was during this cell-polarity GTPase, Rsr1, which is important time that Pamela completed a Master’s Degree for virulence in mouse models. Her research in medical microbiology before joining the UK showed that this protein not only allows fungal Department of Health where she worked as filaments to respond to external cues but may Private Secretary to Health Ministers and be involved in a surprising number of other developed policy on the use of genetic test cell functions, from organelle organisation results by the insurance industry. After three to cell-wall stress responses. These insights years at the Department of Health, Pamela may assist with the characterisation of new returned to the Ministry of Defence where she antifungal therapeutics. would spend the next 11 years. Tina’s PhD studentship was sponsored by the Pamela’s second stint with the Ministry of SEB and she completed her research under Defence saw her in a number of strategy the supervision of Dr Alexander Brand at the and policy roles. This included time spent in University of Aberdeen. corporate governance, risk management and financial scrutiny and involved embedding Above left these policies into Ministry of Defence Pamela Mortimer headquarters in London.  Pamela then moved Photo credit: to the UK Sovereign Base Area in Cyprus where Gary Manhine her policy role included providing political and communications advice to the Administrator of the Sovereign Base Area and Commander British Forces, assisting in the evacuation of British Nationals from the Lebanon and the management of a bird flu outbreak. Upon returning to London, Pamela worked on Ministry of Defence strategic policy and spent three years in international security policy where she managed the Ministry of Defence’s Africa Conflict Prevention Programme. Pamela enjoys all things equestrian and loves to be outdoors riding her mare, Dolly. Together they enjoy the adrenalin rush of galloping

NEW PLANT SECTION RECOMMEND ASPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS COLLEAGUE TO SEBThere have been a few recent changes to Did you know that 70% of SEB members learnthe special interest groups within the Plant about the SEB through word of mouth? IndeedBiology Section which we wanted to let you over 65% of new members join the SEB at theknow about. recommendation of an existing member.  The Plant Section has now welcomed two new Each year the SEB therefore runs a RecommendSpecial Interest Groups: a Colleague campaign encouraging our members to spread the word about the supportPlant Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology: we give to biologists at all stages in their career.This group provides a forum for researchersinterested in any aspect of plant biotechnology Do you know someone who can benefit fromincluding applications in model species, algae, SEB membership? Why not recommend thatcrops and trees. More information about the they join and:group can be found on the SEB Plant section – B e rewarded with a surprise gift when youpage of our website https://www.sebiology. recommend one new memberor g /pl a nt-biolog y/ i nte r es t- g r oups/pl a nt- – R eceive 1 year free membership when youbiotechnology-and-synthetic-biology-group recommend 5 new members per year – R eceive a £250 “Ambassador of the Year”We would like to welcome Claire Halpin award if you recommend the most members(University of Dundee, UK) as the convenor in a yearfor this group. The Recommend a Colleague campaign runs allAdapting to Abiotic Stress and Climate year round and we will announce the awardsChange is another new group added to our and prizes at the end of the year.Plant Section and we would like to welcomeMatthew Gilliham (University of Adelaide, We hope you will be able to take part by tellingAustralia) as its convenor. your colleagues about SEB and helping grow our community further! All you need to doIn other news, Cristobal Uauy (John Innes is make sure that anyone who joins at yourCentre, UK) has stood down from his role as recommendation mentions your name on theirconvenor of the ‘Crop Molecular Genetics’ group. application form.The SEB would like to extend their warmestthanks to Cristobal for his outstanding 2017 AMBASSADORcontribution to the Plant Section. Andrew OF THE YEARLeakey (University of Illinois, USA) has nowbeen appointed as the new convenor for this In 2017 we welcomed 550 new members togroup and we wish him success in his role. SEB and we thank all our members who have recommended us to their colleagues.Finally, a warm welcome to Corina Vlot(Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology of All those that have recommended at least onethe Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, Germany) colleague to SEB in 2017 have received an SEBthe new convenor of the ‘Interaction of Plants mug as a thank you from us!with other Organisms Groups’ formerly knownas the ‘Plant Biotic interactions’ group. The 2017 Ambassador of the Year Award goes to Piero Calosi (University of Quebec in Rimouski)Right-Top to Bottom for recommending the most members to SEBClaire Halpin in 2017!Photo credit: Lewis J HoughtonMatthew Gilliham A warm welcome to all our new members andPhoto credit: Yue Qu/ARC Centre of a big “Thank you” to all our existing membersExcellence of Plant Energy Biology for your continued support!Andrew LeakeyPhoto credit: Brian Stauffer NEWS & VIEWS 09Corina VlotPhoto credit: BIOP-HMGU

YOU SAID - WE DID IT! YOUNG SCIENTIST OPPORTUNITIES FLAMEN-GO TO SEB SEVILLE 2019 -Following the recent delegate survey at Feedback received also mentioned that young SESSIONS CONFIRMEDlast year’s Annual Meeting in Gothenburg, scientists were finding it difficult to networkwe are excited to let you know about some with senior scientists at conferences. As the Following our recent committee meetingsimprovements that have been made for our SEB is committed to building extraordinary in March, the sessions for our 2019 AnnualAnnual Meeting: connections between scientists at all career Meeting in Seville (2-5 July 2019) have been stages, this year we have introduced some confirmed. Please have a read of the sessions ABSTRACT SUBMISSION great networking opportunities for young we have on offer and make sure you save the scientists at our Annual Meeting in Florence: date to join us in the beautiful city of Seville.41% of survey respondents indicated that they – Early Career Researcher Mixer (3 July,require notification of abstract acceptance at lunchtime): this mixer will allow young More information on sessions at our 2019least 4 months prior to the Annual Meeting to scientists to network with their peers, SEB Annual Meeting can be found at www.allow sufficient time for travel arrangements Council Members and senior members of sebiology.org/events/event/seb-seville-2019.and grant applications. As a result we decided the Societyto bring forward the abstract submission – Meet the academics (4 July, lunchtime):deadline by 3 weeks starting with our Annual young scientists considering or building aMeeting in Florence this year. career in academia will have the opportunity to discuss academic career progression with members of our four Section committees and this year’s President’s Medallists.This change means that we will be able to SEB FLORENCE 2018communicate the results of your abstract CONFERENCE DINNERsubmission earlier than in previous years,allowing you more time to make arrangementsfor attending the conference. POSTER SESSIONS Dine in Florentine royalty style at this year’s conference dinner! It gives us great pleasure toIn the past, poster presenters at the Annual announce that our Florence Annual MeetingMeeting had an allocation of two days for conference dinner will take place at Palazzodisplaying their poster (either the first or last Borghese (http://www.palazzoborghese.it/two days of the conference). However we felt en/cene-di-gala.php). After its most recentthat these should receive greater exposure and, reconstruction, in the 16th Century, thisstarting with our 2016 Annual Meeting, we stunning Palace became one of the mostdecided to allow all posters to be displayed for remarkable buildings in the City of Florence.the entire duration of the conference. We hopethat this allows authors greater opportunities This is a unique opportunity to dine in thisfor networking while discussing their work. architectural and artistic jewel in the centre of Florence, and a perfect way to relax withAt past Annual Meetings, posters have also colleagues after 4 days of learning.been grouped by scientific session for bothtime slot and location. For example, all ‘Animal More information on the Annual MeetingBiomechanics’ posters would be presented in and conference dinner can be found on www.Poster session 1 on poster boards adjacent to sebiology.org/events/event/seb-florence-2018.each other. Feedback received by the SEB teamindicated that as a result of this, poster sessionsbecame crowded due to all poster boards beingused in close proximity. In addition, becauseall posters from the same session were beingpresented at the same time, authors lost theopportunity to network with colleagues fromwithin their session.In an attempt to alleviate these issues, we havedecided to have poster sessions alternatingbetween ‘odd’ and ‘even’ poster numbers ratherthan group them per scientific session. Thiswill give authors the opportunity to viewother related research posters whilst easingcongestion and improving the experience ofpresenting at the Annual Meeting.10 NEWS & VIEWS

MEMBER NEWS I n each issue of the member of any Australian University, bolstered by magazine, we like to highlight a recent announcement of co-location with some of the fantastic achievements the Victorian Government at the Queenscliff and research from our members. Marine Research Station. Interested in taking a collaborative trip to do some aquatic Here are some of the people we would like to eco-physiology in the Clark Lab? Drop Tim a line at [email protected]! congratulate this time around. TOM WEIHMANN KATHARINE HUBBARD (UNIVERSITY OF COLOGNE, (UNIVERSITY OF HULL, GERMANY) UK) A study by Dr Tom Weihmann focusing on What do you do when you are told to ‘go and gait changes and the impact of slipperiness on read a paper’? It probably depends on what the running abilities of insects has found that stage of your career you are at, according to the modified gait at high speed and on slippery a new paper by Katharine Hubbard and Sonja surfaces was accompanied by a shift from Dunbar. The study published in PLoS ONE static to dynamic stabilization. The researchers indicates that undergraduate students read shooed cockroaches through a narrow channel very differently to experienced researchers. whose floor was lined with sandpaper of defined In particular, students often overlook asperity sizes and videotaped the runs with a the importance of the results section of a high-speed camera in order to identify this paper, which is useful for those involved in shift. This discovery not only has far-reaching teaching or training early career researchers implications regarding the behaviour and to bear in mind. The paper ends with a call ecology of insects and other arthropods, but the for “the scientific community [to] consider results may also contribute to solving some of the the language they are using to communicate problems engineers are still facing with robots’ their findings, and how this could be made movements. Thus, the cockroaches’ locomotion more accessible and inclusive in order to pattern could contribute to finding a solution benefit non-scientists and scientists across all that would allow poly-pedal robots to run at a career stages.” fast pace with an acceptable energy expenditure. Read the paper online: http://journals. Dr Weihmann’s study appeared in a plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal. number of media outlets including NBC News pone.0189753 and the International Business Times. Read the full paper online: https://frontiersinzoology. TIMOTHY CLARK biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12983- (DEAKIN UNIVERSITY, 017-0232-y AUSTRALIA)BY CONOR GEOGHEGAN Dr Timothy Clark has relocated from his joint position at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). As of November last year, Tim commenced a tenured position as Associate Professor at Deakin University in Geelong (just a stone’s throw from the Great Ocean Road and internationally-renowned surf beaches!). After developing his scientific career in Adelaide, Vancouver, Townsville and Hobart over the past 13 years since completing his PhD, Tim is excited to return to his home state of Victoria and continue building his research and teaching programs. Of particular relevance is that Deakin University has some of the most impressive aquatic facilities NEWS & VIEWS 11

UROŠ CERKVENIK from which the position of the centre of mass project of Rothamsted Research. Joao Paulo(WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY, was calculated. The reconstructed digital Pennacchi was funded by the Brazilian CNPq, tortoises were then rolled in the computer. the Society for Experimental Biology and the NETHERLANDS) Contrary to what was expected, saddleback Company of Biologists. tortoises need more energy than domed onesCongratulations to SEB Student Member to roll back onto their feet. Perhaps the longer RODOMIRO OCTAVIOUroš Cerkvenik who has recently published necks of saddlebacks are used to help them ORTIZ RIOShis first paper. Uroš was the lead author on roll over, while domed tortoises are aided bythe paper ‘Mechanisms of ovipositor insertion their rounded shell shape. Dr Chirari’s work (SWEDISH UNIVERSITYand steering of a parasitic wasp’ which received widespread media attention, including OF AGRICULTURALwas published in the high impact journal appearing in the New York Times. SCIENCES, SWEDEN)Proceedings of the National Academy of Read the paper online: https://www.Sciences (PNAS). Uroš’ research looked into nature.com/articles/s41598-017-15787-7 Research by Professor Rodomiro Octaviohow parasitic wasps can move their ovipositor, a Ortiz Rios and partners has seen themtube-like organ for laying eggs, in any direction JOÃO PAULO PENNACCHI receive the 2017 Olam Prize for Innovationby changing the shape of the end of the tube. (LANCASTER in Food Security. Professor Ortiz, along withHe used 3D and 2D motion analysis to quantify collaborators (particularly Dr. Filippo Bassi atthe probing behaviour of the fruit-fly parasitoid UNIVERSITY, UK) the ICARDA, Morocco), was able to developDiachasmimorpha longicaudata (Braconidae) at cultivars of durum wheat that grow in thethe levels of the ovipositor and its individual Congratulations to João Paulo Pennacchi extreme heat of famine-affected Senegal andelements called valves. What was shown who was recently awarded best paper in the Mauritania. This development could lead tois that the wasps can steer and curve their ‘Crop Physiology Session’ at the XVI Brazilian the production of 600,000 tonnes of new food aovipositors in any direction relative to their Congress of Plant Physiology. The paper entitled year. The research team will be using the prizebody axis. In a soft substrate, the ovipositors “Dissecting the main yield drivers in a double- fund (50,000 US$) to foster the establishmentcan be inserted without reciprocal motion of haploid wheat mapping population in the UK”, of a commercial partnership with the Norththe valves. In a stiff substrate, such motions focused on the definition of traits that can be African pasta and couscous industry. Learnwere always observed. These findings could be reliable cornerstones to yield improvement and more about the project : http://olamgroup.com/used in the development of steerable probes, how they interact to influence yield formation. news/italian-scientist-brings-pasta-power-such as needles for minimally invasive surgery. Canopy cover and reflectance, biomass climate-adaptation-solution-west-africaSteerable probes are currently available, but production and allocation to stems and leavesthey could be greatly improved with the results and flag leaf photosynthesis at pre- and post- Won an award or had your researchfrom this study. anthesis were correlated to plant productivity in the news? We want to hear about Read the paper online:  http://www.pnas. and contributed to explain different strategies it! Contact us on [email protected]/content/114/37/E7822 of wheat lines to reach higher grain yields. It is hoped these results will contribute to the Below YLENIA CHIARI success of high yield breeding programs in Professor Rodomiro Octavio Ortiz Rios (UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH order to ensure food security in the future. This and partners examining field trials project was a collaboration of scientists from Photo credit: ICARDA ALABAMA, USA) Rothamsted Research, Lancaster University and Syngenta and funded by the BBSRC and Syngenta on the scope of the 20:20 WheatThe Galapagos Islands are home to multiplespecies of giant tortoises in which two distinctshell forms can be observed, that of “domed”and “saddleback”. Tortoises can fall on theirback while walking on the rugged volcaniclandscape of the Galapagos. If they cannotturn over quickly, their chances of dyingincrease. Dr Chiari’s team used computermodels to test the hypothesis that the peculiarshape of the saddleback shell could help thesetortoises roll back onto their feet. First Dr Chiarireconstructed their shells, and then proceededto estimate the position of their centre of mass.To capture their shell shapes, 89 tortoises of 5species were photographed from all angles, andrecreated in 3D. Then, to measure where thecentre of mass is inside a living tortoise, theyplaced a tortoise on a measuring platform. Theplatform had several force sensors under it, 12 NEWS & VIEWS

SOCIETY FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY PRESENTS:ADVANCES IN PLANTREPRODUCTION –FROM GAMETESTO SEEDSSEBIOLOGY.ORG#FGTS18 SEEDS OF CHANGEDETAILS SPEAKERS SPONSORED BY30 JUNE – 1 JULY 2018 • J OSÉ FEIJÓ (UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND,UNITED STATES)FIRENZE FIERA CONGRESS • PILAR TESTILLANO (CSIC-MADRID,SPAIN)AND EXHIBITION CENTRE, • AURELIANO BOMBARELY (VIRGINIA TECH,UNITED STATES)FLORENCE, ITALY • LUCIA COLOMBO (UNIVERSITY OF MILAN,ITALY) • M ATTHEW TUCKER (UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE,AUSTRALIA)ORGANISED BY • SIMONA MASIERO (UNIVERSITY OF MILAN,ITALY)SÍLVIA COIMBRA, ANA LÚCIA LOPES • CRISTINA FERRANDIZ (CSIC-UPV,SPAIN)(UNIVERSITY OF PORTO, PORTUGAL) • S IMON HISCOCK (UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD,UK)ANA MARTA PEREIRA • EMIDIO ALBERTINI (UNIVERSITY OF PERUGIA,ITALY)(UNIVERSITY OF MILAN, ITALY)

HUMANATURE BY NICOLE PARR, UNIVERSITY OF EXETERThe HumaNature conference E xtreme environments are Dr Lucy Hawkes described the metabolicallywas held at the Natural characterised by harsh conditions costly flights of bar-headed geese in atmosphericHistory Museum on the where only organisms with conditions where oxygen content is half that at11th-12th November 2017. specialised adaptations can sea level. Understanding how these birds canThe two-day conference fuel such flights in limited oxygen environmentsunited medics, physiologists survive. As adventurous humans increasingly may help advance treatment of the 80% ofand biologists, all with a patients in critical care experiencing low oxygen.fascination for survival in explore these formidable desert landscapes, This issue was also highlighted in a talk by Drextreme settings. Andrew Cumpstey (University College London) high altitude peaks or ocean depths, we learn as a major reason for medical expeditions to the EACH OF THE SESSIONS summit of Mount Everest. HIGHLIGHTED AREAS more about the limits of the human physiology. Dr Andreas Fahlman (Oceanographic WHERE THE TWO FIELDS Foundation) presented his studies into the eco- COULD BENEFIT FROM But what can be learnt from the animals physiology of diving mammals and described EACH OTHER THROUGH A how an altered breathing rhythm allows for a SHARING OF TECHNIQUES already thriving in these environments? more effective gas exchange. By contrast, Dr Željko Dujić described how some of the world’s AND KNOWLEDGE And what approaches and opportunities for finest human free-divers survive underwater for periods approaching 12 minutes. collaboration exist between these disciplines? From the medical realm, Dr Leigh Breen (University of Birmingham) discussed the In London’s iconic venue of the Natural problems of inactivity and the resulting muscle degradation seen in our growing elderly History Museum, medics, researchers, population that leads to a diminished quality of life. On the other hand, Dr Carl Soulsbury comparative physiologists and experimental (University of Lincoln), revealed the potential negative, or even fatal, consequences of too biologists met to discuss these questions at the much energy expenditure for animals, as seen in lekking black grouse. HumaNature conference. Organised by the SEB, This first conference highlighted the exciting potential for collaboration between the conference was brought together by Prof disciplines. In an uncertain and changing world it is hoped that this collaborative Craig Franklin (University of Queensland), Dr approach will increase resilience for animals and humans alike. Mark Hannaford (World Extreme Medicine), Dr “For me, it was fantastic to host a programme, for the first time, putting leading Lewis Halsey (Roehampton University) and Dr medical experts that study the human body in extremes next to animal athletes that regularly Lucy Hawkes (University of Exeter). meet the challenges posed by extreme cold, heat, altitude, depth and endurance” said Lucy Delegates presented their medical and Hawkes, one of the conference organisers. zoological findings on the challenge To view the complete list of abstracts from the HumanNature Symposium visit: http://www. of survival in a range of extreme sebiology.org/events/meetings_archive environments and extreme feats. Podcasts of talks are also available at: http:// www.allthingsrisk.co.uk/2017/12/18/ep- The pairing of animal and human research 6 8 -t he - e x t r e me s- of- a n i m a l- a nd-hu m a n- physiology/ throughout each of the sessions highlighted areas where the two fields could benefit from each other through a sharing of techniques and knowledge. Ideas that were explored included agent-based modelling, (originally developed to model starling murmurations) that Dr Matthew Edwards from London Air Ambulance now believes can be applied to aid the formation of policy and management in the Emergency Room. Professor Stuart Egginton (University of Leeds) summarised the possible benefits to the medical field of animal research, quoting August Krogh: “for such a large number of problems there will be some animal of choice, or a few such animals, on which it can be most conveniently studied”.14 NEWS & VIEWS

INTRODUCING INDEPTH BY GERAINT PARRY, CARDIFF UNIVERSITYImpact of Nuclear Domains I t has long been known that and integrative analysis.On Gene Expression and many complex and interacting A key aim of the project is to provide aPlant Traits (INDEPTH) factors influence how gene database of protocols and expertise in additionis a new collaboration expression is controlled. Over to establishing a potential repository forthat brings together a imaging data. This latter aspect of INDEPTHpan-European group of the past years evidence has shown that is a major challenge, so the participantsresearchers interested in how will investigate strategies that might bethe location of a gene within the location of a gene within the nucleus employed for sharing data of this type.the plant nucleus can affect The COST Association provides fundingits function. can have a significant effect on its activity. for training opportunities. We are organising six ‘Training Schools’ which will involve up to 20 A KEY AIM OF INDEPTH IS The complexity and functional participants travelling to a partner lab to learn a TO PROVIDE A DATABASE technique relevant for their research activities. significance of these plant nuclear The proposed topics for the training schools are: OF PROTOCOLS AND – Cytogenetics: Cytogenetic analyses of plant EXPERTISE IN ADDITION domains is the focus of the newly formed, nuclear compartments and chromatin domains TO ESTABLISHING A collaborative INDEPTH project, funded by – Microscopy: High-resolution and electron POTENTIAL REPOSITORY the COST organisation, which brings together microscopy of the plant nucleus FOR IMAGING DATA – 3D imaging: Advanced development of image researchers from across Europe to explore analysis software the role of domains in the plant nucleus. – Proteomics: Proteomic analysis of nuclear COST is the longest-running compartments – Genomics: Profiling of chromatin domains European framework that supports trans- – Bioinformatics: Bioinformatics for spatial national cooperation among researchers. analyses of nuclear dynamics The second major training activity is Although it does not provide funding for the ‘Short Term Scientific Missions (STSM)’ programme. Twenty STSMs will be taking research activities it generously supports place, and each will consist in one early career researcher (ECR) travelling to a partner lab meetings, workshops, training schools and in a different country for up to six months. The leader for the STSM training programme short-term scientific missions (STSMs). is Laszlo Kozma-Bognar (kozma_bognar. [email protected]), MTA Sezged, Budapest. The INDEPTH Action is led by SEB member Researchers who are not currently INDEPTH partners yet who would like to Professor Christophe Tatout, who works be involved should write to the Chairman, Christophe Tatout, stating why they would like in Clermont Ferrand in France. Other SEB to join the Action and how their expertise would benefit other members of INDEPTH consortium. members play prominent roles on the INDEPTH Anyone attending the 2018 SEB Annual Meeting in Florence might be interested to Management Committee, including Katja attend an INDEPTH Workgroup I meeting that is associated with the Cell Session entitled Graumann (Oxford Brookes University), who is ‘Functional organisation of the nuclear periphery’. leader of the SEB Cell Section Nuclear Dynamics The INDEPTH website is currently under development but the basic information about group, David Evans (Oxford BrookesUniversity), the COST Action can be found here: http:// www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/ca/CA16212 . who is a regular session organiser at SEB Annual Twitter: @COST_INDEPTH Meetings, and me - a committee member of the SEB Plant Section and INDEPTH SciComm lead. As is necessary for all COST Actions, INDEPTH includes researchers from across Europe, with a key aim to facilitate research development in less-well supported countries. As such, researchers from 21 countries are taking part in the project, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Hungary. INDEPTH is split into four workgroups, although the power of consortium lies in the potential cross-fertilisation of ideas between these groupings: – Workgroup 1: Quantitative imaging and analysis of the plant nucleus in 3D. – Workgroup 2: Transcriptional regulation through association of chromatin domains with nuclear compartments. – W orkgroup 3: Structure of nuclear domains and the functional output for plant traits. – Workgroup 4:  Storage, data management NEWS & VIEWS 15

FROM PROTEOME TOPHENOTYPE: ROLE OFPOST-TRANSLATIONAL MODIFICATIONS BY LUCAS FRUNGILLO, POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER, UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGHPost-translational protein O n the 11th to 13rd of December (University of Edinburgh) and Dr Cyril Zipfelmodifications (PTMs) (The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, UK),dramatically increase 2017, over 150 keen researchers who gave the audience a flavour of what was tothe complexity of cellular from very diverse backgrounds come in the next three days. Their welcome talkproteomics. It is now well gathered together at the University was followed by an inspiring plenary talk byestablished that PTMs are Dr Jesper V. Olsen (University of Copenhagen)critical players in processes of Edinburgh, United Kingdom for that guided the audience through the signallingranging from whole cellular waves and networks of peptide phosphorylationmetabolic reprogramming a SEB Symposium, organised in collaboration and how analytical expertise and fundamentalto fine-tuning responses of research go side-by-side in science2.organisms to ever changing with GARNet with the suggestive title ofenvironmental conditions. DIFFERENT PTMS CANHowever, many details on Protein Power. Their aim was to share and CROSS-TALK IN A SINGLEthe molecular mechanismsunderpinning PTM-mediated discuss trending perspectives on the roles of PROTEIN PLATFORM,cellular signalling are yet USING REVERSIBILITYto emerge. PTMs in the establishment of plant traits. AND STABILITY AS 16 NEWS & VIEWS After translation of the genetic code, newly POWERFUL PLEAS synthesized proteins are often subjected to Left Lucas Frungillo modifications that have profound impacts on Photo credit: Livia C. T. Scorza their biological role, a process referred to as post-translational protein modification (PTM). The pervasiveness and dynamicity of PTMs in all Kingdoms of life is suggestive of how organisms with small genomes end up with vast protein variants and complex metabolisms. There are numerous examples of how PTMs impact protein function and stability in cells, dramatically affecting metabolism and whole organism performance. To add yet another layer of complexity to proteomics, different PTMs can cross-talk in a single protein platform, using reversibility and stability as powerful pleas1: this is a challenging research topic that fuelled discussions in the meeting. Despite the relevance of the PTMs across disciplines, fundamental questions such as ‘Why are some proteins targeted by specific PTMs whilst others harbouring similar target sites are not?’ and ‘How are non-enzymatic PTMs timely and spatially controlled in cells?’ are still to be fully understood. It was with those questions in mind, and certainly many more convolutions, that scientists faced a snow blanket - and some disruption caused by Storm Caroline - to meet last December in the beautiful and compelling capital of Scotland. The symposium was warmly opened by the scientific co-organisers Dr Steven Spoel

PROTEIN STABILISATION a redox-based cornerstone of cell signalling. occurred during the Protein Power meeting, AND DESTABILISATION S-nitrosylation has been shown to impact and hopefully we will soon see the germination hormonal signalling and reactive oxygen of new collaborations that were sown there!Protein stability and turnover are largely species production in cells and only nowcontrolled by interplay between different mechanisms of reversibility and specificity THE OUTCOMES FROMPTMs. The outcomes from a molecular battle are beginning to emerge7. Gary went on A MOLECULAR BATTLEbetween two PTMs, ubiquitination and to exemplify the role of S-nitrosylation in BETWEEN TWO PTMS,SUMOylation, can dictate if a given protein plant immunity by sharing his group’s novel UBIQUITINATION ANDis targeted for degradation or stabilised in findings that S-nitrosylation of a specific SUMOYLATION, CANcells. Diving into the obscurity of specificity peptide suppresses expression of a repressor of DICTATE IF A GIVENdeterminants in SUMOylation, Dr Ron Hay immunity in a twisting scientific exercise. The PROTEIN IS TARGETED(University of Dundee) detailed his group’s diversity of PTMs was further showcased by FOR DEGRADATION ORapproach to identifying peptide motifs Dr Piers Hemsley (University of Dundee), who STABILIZED IN CELLStargeted by SUMOylation on a proteome- highlighted exclusive features and mechanismwide scale. Further in the presentation, he of protein S-acylation in plants. Details about 1. Skelly MJ, Frungillo L &Spoel SH. (2016) Transcriptionalhighlighted the importance of SUMOylation this PTM are just now emerging, although regulation by complex interplay between post-translationalin regulating mechanisms of cell division by evidence already indicates a critical role of modifications. Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 33, 126-132doi:aiding in dynamics of protein complexes3. lipid based S-acylation in regulating protein 10.1016/j.pbi.2016.07.004Another interesting aspect in the control function in cell membranes8. Although the listof protein stability was brought up by Dr of proteins targeted to S-acylation is not yet 2. F rancavilla C, Papetti M, Rigbolt KTG, Pedersen AK, SigurdssonSteven Spoel (University of Edinburgh), extensive, Piers passionately argued that it JO, Cazzamali G, Karemore G, Blagoev B & Olsen JV. (2016)who talked about his group’s research on will undoubtedly bulk up in the near future. Multilayered proteomics reveals molecular switches dictatingthe control of gene expression reprograming ligand-dependent EGFR trafficking. Nature Structural &by protein ubiquitination. Steven’s group’s WORKSHOP ON Molecular Biology 618 doi:10.1038/nsmb.3218cross-cutting research sheds light on thelong-standing conundrum of activation of gene PROTEOMIC ANALYSIS 3. P elisch F, Tammsalu T, Wang B, Jaffray EG, Gartner A & Hayexpression by targeting transcription factors RT. (2017) A SUMO-Dependent Protein Network Regulatesfor degradation4. Further presentation by Dr To top it all off, on the final day of the meeting, Chromosome Congression during Oocyte Meiosis. MolecularDaniel J. Gibbs (University of Birmingham) students and early career scientists packed a Cell 65(1), 66-77. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2016.11.001highlighted the control of the beautiful process classroom out to be guided through a set ofof blossoming in the spring. His findings link different tools for proteomic analysis by world- 4. Spoel SH, Mou Z, Tada Y, Spivey NW, Genschik P& Dong X.perception of reactive oxygen and nitrogen class, passionate experts in the field. Technical (2009) Proteasome-mediated turnover of the transcriptionspecies availability through non-enzymatic and computational advances have aided co-activator NPR1 plays dual roles in regulating plantPTMs to protein stability5 and serve as an scientists to routinely identify and quantify immunity. Cell 137, 860-872 doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2009.03.038illustrative example of how an intricate peptides targeted to PTMs even in complexnetwork of PTMs controls cellular signalling. and scarce biological samples. However, 5. Gibbs DJ, Md Isa N, Movahedi M, Lozano-Juste J, Mendiondo comprehensive analysis and making sense of GM, Berckhan S, Marín-delaRosa N, Vicente Conde J, Sousa REGULATION OF increasingly common large amounts of data can Correia C, Pearce SP, Bassel GW, Hamali B, Talloji P, Tomé DFA, PROTEIN ACTIVITY be a daunting task. Mastering these techniques Coego A, Beynon J, Alabadí D, Bachmair A, León J, Gray JE, is an important step towards breakthroughs Theodoulou FL &Holdsworth MJ. (2014) Nitric oxide sensingFrom the numerous chemical reactions that in the field, and therefore is of great interest in plants is mediated by proteolytic control of group VII ERFcan occur in a cell in each moment, just a few to future scientists. Led by Dr. Alex Jones transcription factors. Molecular Cell, 53(3), 369-379 doi:of these will actually happen. It is the selective (University of Warwick), who also chaired 10.1016/j.molcel.2013.12.020regulation of enzymatic catalysis that governs a session on state of the art technologicalcell behaviour and this is largely achieved by advances in PTM detection9, attendees had the 6. S makowska-Luzan E, Mott GA, Parys K, Stegmann M, Howtontimely PTMs. In his talk, Dr Cyril Zipfel (The chance to explore, view and analyse a sample TC, Layeghifard M, Neuhold J, Lehner A, Kong J, Grünwald K,Sainsbury Laboratory) addressed exciting, dataset in a hands-on workshop. Experiences Weinberger N, Satbhai SB, Mayer D, Busch W, Madalinski M,novel features of the well-established PTM, and challenges in the workday of proteomic Stolt-Bergner P,Provart NJ, Mukhtar MS, Zipfel C, Desveaux D,phosphorylation. The investigation of a central research were then exchanged in an informal, Guttman DS &Belkhadir Y. (2018) An extracellular network ofnode in the regulatory network that shapes but still very thoughtful, environment Arabidopsis leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases. Nature, 553,growth, development and immunity in plants to equip researchers with valuable skills. 342-346 doi:10.1038/nature25184led Zipfel’s group to uncover an intricate Overall, the posters and talks presentedphosphocode targeting a single protein, thus in the Protein Power meeting illustrated 7. Kneeshaw S, Gelineau SS, Tada Y, Loake GJ &Spoel SH. (2014)providing novel insights on downstream the pervasiveness of PTMs in plant science. Selective protein denitrosylation activity of thioredoxin-h5signalling events and metabolic trade-offs6. From fundamental cross-cutting research in modulates plant immunity. Molecular Cell, 56, 153-162 doi:With another process, plant immunity, in model organisms to the development of crop 10.1016/j.molcel.2014.08.003the spotlight, Dr Gary Loake (University of technologies based on current knowledge,Edinburgh) highlighted the establishment and a wide range of subjects was covered by 8. K umar M, Wightman R, Atanassov I, Gupta A, Hurst CH,recent advances of protein S-nitrosylation as enthusiasts and talented attendees. Lively and Hemsley PA & Turner S. (2016) S-Acylation of the cellulose fruitful discussions took place in joyful coffee synthase complex is essential for its plasma membrane breaks and social events. Established and early localization. Science, 353(6295), 166-169 doi: 10.1126/science. career researchers and students benefited from aaf4009 the knowledge exchange and interactions that 9. Christie-Oleza JA, Sousoni D, Armengaud J, Wellington EMH & Jones AM.(2015). Defining a pipeline for metaproteomic analyses.  In book: Springer Protocols Handbooksdoi: 10.1007/8623_2015_130  NEWS & VIEWS 17

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FEATURESPLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR HEALTH AND NUTRITION..................... 18 STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWD.............24 FEATURE 19

PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR HEALTH AND NUTRITION BY CAROLINE WOOD Plants have always played a traditional role in medicine, as the beautifully illustrated and richly descriptive herbal books of ancient cultures show. In modern times, however, healthcare has become more synthetic, with pills and tablets more common than tinctures and infusions. But new advances in biotechnology will see plants taking centre stage again as a prime source of health promoting agents. These exciting developments will have an entire session - Plant biotechnology for health and nutrition – dedicated to them at the 2018 SEB Annual Meeting in Florence. Here is a sneak advance peek of what’s in store…20 FEATURE

SUPER TOMATOES This success prompted Cathie to set up WE ARE NOT JUST her own spin-off company, Norfolk Plant ENGINEERING FOR THE‘Superfoods’ is a controversial term, but it is Sciences, which is currently in the process SAKE OF ENGINEERING, BUTgenerally accepted that dark coloured fruits of commercialising a purple-tomato juice FOR A PURPOSE, SO WE CANand vegetables, such as aubergines, cherries, product in the USA. “We are about to ACTUALLY HAVE AN IMPACTblackcurrants and blueberries, are particularly submit an application to the Food and Drug ON CHRONIC DISEASESassociated with good health. This is due to their Administration (FDA) – we just need to confirmhigh content of anthocyanins and flavonoids: the precise sequence of the insertion site so wecompounds which appear to protect against can confirm that no major gene rearrangementsvarious chronic diseases, including cancer, have occurred” Cathie says. In the meantime,cardiovascular disease and obesity. However, her latest work has focused on the power ofthese foods are typically expensive and anthocyanin-fortified tomatoes to combat aseasonal, and the amounts required for these rapidly growing ‘modern disease’: intestinalbenefits would be beyond the budget of most. inflammation. “We tested a mouse modelGenetic engineering, however, has opened the where intestinal inflammation is induced bypossibility of developing more commercially chemical treatment (Dextran Sulfate Sodiumviable crops with a high anthocyanin content. - DSS). Normally this causes dramatic weight“We decided to use tomatoes because they are loss and bleeding from the colon but thisa very versatile food, can be grown in many was decreased in mice fed tomatoes high inplaces and are relatively easy to transform” anthocyanins, flavonols or resveratrol” shesays Cathie Martin (John Innes Centre, UK), says. Interestingly, the results were eventhe driving force behind the ‘purple tomato’ and more impressive when the differenta keynote speaker at the session in Florence. polyphenols were combined in Using Agrobacterium-mediated a single tomato, suggestingtransformation, Cathie and her colleagues a synergy of action. “Theseengineered tomato plants to express two effects were seen when weanthocyanin biosynthesis genes that normally only supplemented 1% ofproduce purple flowers in Garden Snapdragon the mice’s diet with the(Antirrhinum majus). These were driven by high anthocyanin, flavonola fruit-specific promoter from tomato, to and resveratrol tomatoes,limit their expression to the tomato fruits. which is a very low level. ButAs a result, the tomatoes accumulate up to you would have to eat a tonne3mg purple anthocyanins per gram of fresh of red grape skins or blueberriesweight, a level comparable with cherries and to get the same amount of theseraspberries. “When we supplemented the diet compounds from a non-GM source”. Inof a cancer-prone mouse model with 10% purple her talk at the meeting in Florence, Cathietomatoes, their average lifespan increased by will describe how her latest results suggest30% - from 142 days to 182 days” says Cathie1. a mechanism whereby anthocyanins and“But the mice didn’t live significantly longer flavonols act on the epithelial cells to reduceif they were fed a diet supplemented with the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines3.10% normal red tomatoes, showing that But for these exciting results to truly makethe benefit came from the anthocyanins a difference, public acceptance is key and thisin the genetically mod if ied fr uits”. will require much collaboration outside of the lab. As Cathie says, “We absolutely WHEN WE SUPPLEMENTED need to have medics and nutritionists on THE DIET OF A CANCER- board - they have to understand you can PRONE MOUSE MODEL WITH really make a difference with plant science. 10% PURPLE TOMATOES, We are not just engineering for the sake of THEIR AVERAGE LIFESPAN engineering, but for a purpose, so we canINCREASED BY 30% - FROM actually have an impact on chronic diseases”. 142 DAYS TO 182 DAYS FEATURE 21

SOMETHING FISHY systems to translating these to a crop species, ENGINEERING PLANTS TO carrying out GM field trials in the UK and ACCUMULATE OMEGA-3 FISHSuccesses like the purple tomato can give North America, and finally fish and animalthe impression that we are on the brink of feeding studies.” Johnathan’s crop of choice OILS IS A COMPLICATEDa new plant breeding era where, with the was Camelina sativa (False Flax), a relative MULTI-GENE TRAIT,addition of one or two genes, we can re- of oilseed rape. “We chose Camelina because REQUIRING ADVANCEDengineer plants to become factories for any it is very easy to transform, with no tissuekey nutrient of our choosing. However, the culture steps involved; it has a rapid seed-to- METABOLIC ENGINEERINGprocess is rarely so straightforward. More seed generation time and it is not a commodityoften, high-value compounds have complex crop, which means that important things like RECONSTRUCTINGbiosynthetic pathways involving countless identity preservation and stewardship of the PATHWAYSdifferent enzymes, requiring an entire GM crop are easier” Johnathan says. Crucially,metabolic pathway to be reconstructed in the Camelina also has a naturally high level of Besides producing nutrients essential forhost plant. But it can be done, as researchers a-linolenic acid; a shorter chain omega-3 fatty health, reconstructing metabolic pathways inat Rothamsted Research have demonstrated acid that acts as a precursor for EPA and DHA. plants could be a source of valuable compoundswith Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids With the addition of seven synthetic that fight disease. Vinblastine and vincristine,(PUFAs). These compounds are crucial for genes based on those present in marine for instance, potent alkaloids isolated fromhuman health, particularly for maintaining phytoplankton, Johnathan and his team the Madagascar Periwinkle Catharanthusbrain function and combating cardiovascular were able to divert the a-linolenic acid roseus, are used in chemotherapy treatmentsdisease. Two of these, Eicosapentaenoic acid already present in Camelina into EPA and against a range of cancers, including breast(EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are DHA production. Subsequent field studies cancer, Hodgkin’s disease and acute leukaemia.not naturally synthesised by plants; they are demonstrated that the trait is stable in field- “These chemicals are extracted at a high priceactually produced by marine phytoplankton grown plants; that the seed lipid profile because only very low levels accumulate inand accumulate up the food chain when these resembles that of marine microalgae rather the plant tissues” says Kirsi-Marja Oksman-are eaten by fish. Consequently, the World than higher plants and that farmed salmon Caldentey (VTT Technical Research CentreHealth Organisation recommends eating at can successfully accumulate omega-3s from of Finland). “However, chemical synthesis isleast 2 portions of oily fish such as herring, feed pellets made from the transgenic crop4. not an economical alternative either due tosardines and mackerel each week, equivalent “The potential impact of this is huge – instead their highly complex structures and specificto 250-500 mg daily of EPA and DHA. of having to harvest and extract fish oils stereochemical features”. Between 2009-2013 But that could soon change, thanks to the out of the oceans, we can produce them on Kirsi-Marja worked as part of the SmartCelldevelopment of transgenic plants that produce the land” says Johnathan. “This means we consortium, an international effort involvingand accumulate omega-3 fatty acids in their can have a larger and more secure supply of 18 different partners, to develop a moreseeds. Having started the ambitious project in these important fatty acids, useable in both accessible and cost-effective source of thesethe late 1990s, it has been quite a journey for aquaculture and direct human nutrition”. drugs. Given the complexity of the enzymaticJohnathan Napier and his team, but one that At the session in Florence, Johnathan pathways that produce these alkaloids, Kirsi-is now bearing fruit. “Engineering plants to also hopes to explore how synthetic biology Marja decided to focus on the first part of a 35accumulate omega-3 fish oils is a complicated approaches and computer modelling could step pathway that finally produces vincristinemulti-gene trait, requiring advanced metabolic make future genetic transformations more and vinblastine. “It was like making a puzzleengineering” says Johnathan. “During my talk predictable, rather than slow, iterative little by little” she explains. “Using next-in Florence, I will describe how my research processes of refinement. “We would like to be generation sequencing, we isolated candidatehas gone from fundamental studies in model able to use computational approaches to model genes, combined these in yeast and in bacteria the alterations to endogenous metabolism then used biochemical analysis to confirm needed to generate a given novel oil profile” the products of each individual step”. Having he says. “This is currently very hard, as our identified the enzymes and their order in the understanding of plant lipid biochemistry is process, they were able to reconstruct the only partial, but it is an exciting “moon-shot” pathway in tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana), type of goal to aim for.” using Agrobacterium transformation. “While there remain ‘missing steps’ in the downstream pathway, we have demonstrated a real proof of principle that has brought the whole work in metabolic engineering of secondary metabolites forward” Kirsi-Marja says. “If the project had lasted longer, I am sure we could have kept going to the end”.22 FEATURE

BERRY GOOD FOR YOU that the antibacterial effect is not behind one single compound but due to synergistic In the meantime, Kirsi-Marja is already effects of several phenolic compounds. So we immersing herself into her next project – have optimised the plant cells by altering the harnessing the natural power of berries. growth conditions and modulating the culture “Here in Finland, our forests are very rich in media as well as using elicitation to get them to edible berries, with over fifty different species, produce the correct ratio of these compounds”. some of which have compounds with very Beside cultivating cells in this way, VTT is interesting biological activities” she says. bioprocessing berries and their by-products Various studies have reported the health (e.g. seeds) to generate new types of highly benefits of incorporating berries into the diet. active extracts against pathogenic bacteria. A national project in Finland, for instance, The work has already attracted interest from found that a daily addition of 300 grams the cosmetic industry, who face increasing of berries into the diet was able to reverse pressure to replace synthetic preservatives symptoms of metabolic syndromes, promote such as parabens with more natural agents. beneficial gut bacteria and improve blood “We are also seeing an emerging trend in skin lipid profiles in as little as 3 months5. This is care for products that have a balancing effect thought to be due to the action of ellagitannins: towards the whole microbiota” says Kirsi-Marja. polyphenols abundant in strawberries, Kirsi-Marja also believes that besides raspberries and cloudberries which are being a source of niche chemicals, the future metabolised by bacteria in the colon. “In will see plant cell cultures play an increasingly addition, phenolic compounds from berries important role in food production. “I believe the show strong antimicrobial activity against whole food production chain is in a disruption pathogenic bacteria without harming the phase now and that within ten years, it will beneficial bacteria such as Lactobaccillus certainly be very different with more food species. Staphylococcus, for instance, is very being produced locally and in specified sensitive to these” says Kirsi-Marja. “We laboratories or small factories” she says. Until can’t use genetic engineering to increase the then, Kirsi-Marja gives her advice on how you production of these compounds however, can benefit from berries yourself: “I love berry because these plants have not yet been smoothies and prepare one every morning. sequenced and the biosynthetic pathways I would recommend combining fresh or frozen are largely unknown. Also, it is most likely berries with natural yoghurt, a small ripe banana and 4-5 basil leaves in a blender - then simply mix and enjoy!”Opposite page I BELIEVE THE WHOLE FOOD PRODUCTION CHAINBottom left IS IN A DISRUPTION PHASE NOW AND THAT WITHIN TEN YEARS, IT WILL CERTAINLY BE VERY DIFFERENTCamelina sativa plant WITH MORE FOOD BEING PRODUCED LOCALLY AND INPhoto credit: Rothamsted Research SPECIFIED LABORATORIES OR SMALL FACTORIESTop right FEATURE 23Genetically engineered seedsof Camelina sativaPhoto credit: Rothamsted ResearchThis pageTop rightCultures of berry cellsPhoto credit: VTT images

CHLOROPLASTS – plants appeared to grow normally. “This I ASKED THE QUESTION: suggests that the level of photosynthesis is IF THE CHLOROPLASTA PRODUCTION POWERHOUSE not directly related to the amount of rubisco IS SO EFFECTIVE AS A and that an overabundance of rubisco may PRODUCTION SYSTEM,So far, most techniques have concentrated on serve as storage for protein” says Henry. CAN WE USE IT TO MAKEintroducing DNA into the nucleus. But Henry  Having perfected the technique, Henry HIGHLY EXPENSIVEDaniell (University of Pennsylvania, USA) has since turned it to a range of protein drug BIOPHARMACEUTICALbelieves that to unlock the full potential of treatments. One which particularly excites PROTEINS?plants as pharmaceutical factories we should him is the production of blood clotting proteinsbe looking elsewhere – the chloroplast. “One of for haemophilia patients. Currently, the best his colleagues were able to develop tobaccothe most abundant proteins on earth – rubisco, available treatment involves injecting clotting and lettuce plants that produced both ana key component for photosynthesis – is made factors into the bloodstream, however this antimicrobial peptide and a matrix-degradingin chloroplasts” he explains. “So I asked the approach – which costs between $60-200,000 a enzyme. The combination proved deadlyquestion: if the chloroplast is so effective as year – typically provokes the immune system effective against bacterial biofilms growing ona production system, can we use it to make to develop antibodies that render it ineffective. artificial tooth-like surfaces6. “As this is seen ashighly expensive biopharmaceutical proteins?” But it seems that producing clotting factor a topical treatment rather than an internal one,An ideal candidate to test this was insulin, proteins within plants can circumvent this. regulatory approval could be very swift” saysthe protein treatment for those with diabetes. “Using animal models, we have found that Henry. “We are already working with Johnson“With current methods of production and introducing these factors orally does not & Johnson Consumer Inc. on the possibility ofdelivery, only 10% of the population can afford induce an immune response – a phenomenon developing antimicrobial chewing gums thatinsulin, even though it was made available we call ‘oral tolerance’” Henry says. “Plant release these peptides when chewed”.50 years ago” says Henry. But getting the cells are ideal for oral delivery because theirinsulin gene into chloroplasts presented a cell walls stop the drug from being digested informidable challenge. “Whilst the nucleus the stomach, so that it reaches the gut intacthas pores through which DNA can enter, for absorption”. Having demonstrated this bythe chloroplast is surrounded by a complete feeding dogs with transformed lettuce leaves,double-layered envelope” he explains. “The this treatment is now ready to for testing inonly successful method so far is to use brute humans. At the meeting in Florence, Henryforce”. This involves coating razor-sharp gold and Shashi Kumar (International Centre forparticles with the DNA cassettes containing Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, India)the gene of interest and an antibiotic resistance will be describing how this method is now beinggene. “We then fire millions of these at the applied to produce vaccines against infectiouschloroplasts, and one or two make it inside” diseases, including malaria and cholera.Henry says. The DNA is then precipitated Exciting as these projects sound,using calcium chloride, which releases it regulatory procedures mean it could be afrom the gold particles. The chloroplasts while before they gain approval for clinicalthat successfully take up the DNA are then use. But one of his other ventures could beselected for using the antibiotic; these then introduced much sooner: a novel treatmentmultiply within the cells to replace the others. for dental cavities, caused by bacteria that live “Using this technique in tobacco in dental plaque. Whilst antimicrobial proteinsand lettuce, we managed to make three- have been identified that kill these bacteria,quarters of the leaf protein to be insulin” they are prohibitively expensive to producesays Henry. Although this caused the level using normal methods and their effectivenessof rubisco to decrease, surprisingly the is severely limited by the extracellular matrix surrounding the bacteria in the mouth. Using his chloroplast-production system, Henry and USING THIS TECHNIQUEIN TOBACCO AND LETTUCE, WE MANAGED TO MAKE THREE-QUARTERS OF THE LEAF PROTEIN TO BE INSULIN24 FEATURE

SEE YOU IN FLORENCE? NO INDIVIDUAL LAB 1. B utelli, Eugenio, et al. “Enrichment of tomato fruit COULD DO THIS WORK with health-promoting anthocyanins by expression ofAs these case studies show, the potential ALONE, IT REALLY NEEDS select transcription factors.” Nature biotechnology 26.11applications of plant science are influencing A MULTIDISCIPLINARY (2008): 1301.an ever-growing number of different scientificdisciplines, acting as a meeting place for APPROACH 2. S carano, A., et al. “Combined dietary anthocyanins,researchers from a diverse range of fields. flavonols and stilbenoids alleviate inflammatory bowel“No individual lab could do this work alone, disease symptoms in mice”. Frontiers in Nutrition, 4,it really needs a multidisciplinary approach” (2017) 75.says Kirsi-Marja. “For instance, my backgroundtraining is as a pharmacist, but now I am 3. T omlinson, Matthew L., et al. “Flavonoids from engineeredworking with food scientists and the cosmetic Tomatoes inhibit gut Barrier Pro-inflammatory cytokinesindustry”. Henry agrees: “None of these and chemokines, via saPK/JnK and p38 MaPK Pathways.”problems regarding health and nutrition can Frontiers in nutrition 4 (2017).be solved with a single discipline – they requireknowledge of human physiology, animal and 4. Betancor MB, Sprague M, Sayanova O, Usher S, Metochisplant models, immunology and biochemistry”. C, Campbell PJ, Napier JA, Tocher DR. (2016) NutritionalAs a forum for plant, animal and cell biologists, Evaluation of an EPA-DHA Oil from Transgenic Camelinahe hopes the 2018 SEB Annual meeting will Sativa in Feeds for Post-Smolt Atlantic Salmon (Salmoprovide a chance for a whole cross-section salar  L.). PLoS One. 11(7):e0159934.of researchers to learn about the most recentdevelopments in this exciting field. “It’s a 5. Puupponen-Pimiä, Riitta, et al. “Effects of ellagitannin-wonderful opportunity for researchers to learn rich berries on blood lipids, gut microbiota, and urolithinhow to incorporate this knowledge into their production in human subjects with symptoms of metabolicown work, and we hope it will lead to some syndrome.” Molecular nutrition & food research 57.12exciting new collaborations” he says. (2013): 2258-2263. 6. L iu, Yuan, et al. “Topical delivery of low-cost protein drug candidates made in chloroplasts for biofilm disruption and uptake by oral epithelial cells.” Biomaterials 105 (2016): 156-166.Opposite pageTreatment with the plant-madeantimicrobial protegrinPhoto credit:Henry Daniell FEATURE 25

STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWD BY ALEX EVANSNature is teeming with weird and Session organisers, Shaun Killen from the University ofwonderful relationships between Glasgow, UK, and Stefano Marras from the National Researchindividuals and their social groups, Council (CNR), Italy, believe that now is an ideal time to makeleading to a whole host of interesting the most of the SEB’s diverse and interdisciplinary roster ofand observable differences in delegates for a discussion of this topic. “Understanding howphysiological and behavioural traits. individuals within social groups contribute to leadership,An upcoming session at the 2018 SEB decision-making, hierarchy formation and group cohesionAnnual Main Meeting this summer are all critical for gaining a basic understanding of ecology,”entitled the “Role of individual Shaun explains. This fascinating topic has attractedvariation in the behaviour of animal researchers from a wide breadth of research angles, which,groups” aims to bring these issues while useful, has also led to gaps in communication betweeninto the spotlight, and Alex Evans scientists working in separate fields - an issue that Shaungets to know a few of the speakers and Stefano hope to tackle. “There are so many fantasticin advance of the session... researchers in different parts of the world that are studying this subject that it made sense to try to get a bunch of them in the same place at the same time to exchange ideas”, explains Shaun. “We hope that this session can facilitate more discussion from people working on different sides of the same problem.” Fishtanks Photo credit: Shaun Killen26 FEATURE

LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE RIGHT ANT can be acquired and regulated. “Social SOCIAL BEHAVIOURS FOR THE JOB insects provide some of the most familiar and spectacular examples of social groups IS CRITICAL FOR Social behaviours aren’t just a vertebrate fad, with large inter-individual differences,” he PREDICTING HOW ANIMALS and there are many insect species that can also says, “and behavioural variability among the be found living in communities with interesting workers of a colony is increasingly regarded as MIGHT RESPOND TO inter-individual dynamics. In particular, fundamental for a key feature of social insects.” ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE eusocial insects, such as ants, bees, wasps and At the upcoming session in Florence, termites, have developed complex societies Raphael will be presenting a talk on the differentNATURE’S SOCIAL NETWORK where individual variation is pushed to the mechanisms underlying the expression of extreme in order to partition up tasks between behavioural variability that can give rise toShaun, the recipient of the Animal Section’s its members. The division of labour observed in this impressive division of labour in insectPresident’s Medal at 2017’s SEB Annual ants is one of the most impressive examples of societies2. He believes that now is an importantMeeting, has plenty of experience working how animal societies can dictate not only the time to examine the issues of heterogeneityon the social interactions of animals and general behaviour of a society’s individuals to and variation in insect communities,presented some of the research from his lab suit specific roles, but also their size and shape. saying that “there is currently a need toduring his medallist’s session talk last year It is currently believed that individuals identify the proximate causes and ultimatein Gothenburg. “It was a great honour,” says within these social ant societies develop consequences of variations among entities inShaun of receiving the award, “but science is different sensitivities to certain tasks, and biological systems, at all scales of analysis.”by nature an extremely collaborative process that workers are more likely to engage in Raphael hopes that future research intoand none of what I have done would have been tasks to which they are more sensitive. But this field will certainly benefit from the inputpossible without working with such amazing what are the sources of these variations in of a wide range of researchers interested in thementors, colleagues and students along the sensitivity? This is a question that Dr Raphael division of labour amongst social insects: “Mostway”. Recently, the focus of Sean’s research Jeason of Université Paul Sabatier, France, was studies have focused on behavioural variabilityhas been on the interactions between the very keen to answer. “By manipulating the based on genetic variability, while otherphysiology of individuals and group behaviours social environment experienced by ants, we mechanisms that may be responsible for thein social animals. “We use fish in our work aim to examine how this impacts the range behavioural differentiation have been largelyand tend to focus on how energy demand and of behavioural variations between workers,” neglected,” he says. Finally, Raphael predictsswimming ability interact with leadership explains Raphael. Utilising both theoretical that this session will be a good opportunity toand other types of social behaviour,” he says. and experimental approaches, Raphael and develop and grow new ideas, concluding thatThe costs of swimming solo and in groups are his team are working to understand how “the interdisciplinary attendance of the SEBalso intrinsically linked with variability in such a diverse community structure as Annual Meeting offers the ideal condition forsensitivities to environmental conditions such those seen in ants and other social insects stimulating and exciting discussions aroundas temperature and food availability, which the concept of variation.”is another topic of interest to Shaun and his SOCIAL INSECTSlab. “Learning more about social behaviours PROVIDE SOME OF THEis critical for predicting how animals might MOST FAMILIAR ANDrespond to environmental change,” he SPECTACULAR EXAMPLESexplains, adding that “we are also finding that OF SOCIAL GROUPS WITHphysiological factors and social behaviours LARGE INTER-INDIVIDUALin fish are important for determining whichindividuals are likely to be captured by DIFFERENCESvarious fishing practices, so there are a rangeof potential conservation applications”1. With the potential for a diverse offeringof talks and posters, Shaun proposes thatthis session is a great choice for first-timeattendees to SEB, and is looking forward toseeing research featuring animals from allwalks, swims and flights of life. “It is alwaysamazing how, despite the obvious differencesamong these types of animals, there are oftenincredible similarities in how they behavesocially.” he says, adding: “We can’t wait tosee you all in Florence!” FEATURE 27

MUDDYING THE WATERS primary goal of Helen and Lesley’s work was to ONE OF THE KEY assess how social behaviours in sticklebacks FINDINGS FROM THATPredators and prey alike rely on their keen can be disrupted by the visual clarity of thesenses to keep aware of each other, be it water in their habitat. By placing stickleback STUDY WAS THATthrough any number of their physical senses. shoals in tanks containing clear or turbid water, TURBIDITY SEEMEDPrevious research on collective behaviour the team were able to film the fish and track TO MAKE THE FISHhas shown that group tactics can often be the the positions of individuals to see how the IN GROUPS BEHAVE ASkey to successfully utilising these senses in shoaling patterns changed. “One of the key THEY WOULD WHEN THEYboth hunting prey and avoiding predation for findings from that study was that turbidity WERE ALONE AND NOTmany animal species. Dr Lesley Morrell, of the seemed to make the fish in groups behave asUniversity of Hull, UK, is eager to understand they would when they were alone and not in IN GROUPSmore about the effects that environmental groups,” says Lesley5. These disruptions tochanges can have on how animals detect grouping strategies could have consequencestheir prey or evade predation, and some of her for the health of wild fish populations, aslatest research has expanded to investigate Lesley explains: “Social behaviour carries withthe additional interactions when group sizes it a wide range of anti-predator benefits forare considered. Working with a former PhD shoaling fish and, if turbidity disrupts thesestudent, Ása Johannesen, Lesley’s starting behaviours, they could be left vulnerablepoint was investigating the effects of olfactory to predation.” Group-living has benefitsclues on foraging sticklebacks by reducing the beyond avoiding predators however, andvisibility of their environment and seeing Lesley stresses the importance of their rolehow the size of prey groups affected the ease in the wider ecological community. “Changesat which they were detected and devoured3. in behaviour can also have implications forHowever, inspired by the interesting overlap mating success and finding food, and soin their findings with those from work can have important knock-on implicationscarried out by another former PhD student, throughout the ecological network,”Ben Chapman, now at the University of says Lesley.Leeds, UK, on how environmental effectscan affect olfactory cues in guppy foraging4,a new grouping behaviour project was born. “I recruited Helen Kimbell to a PhD totry rearing fish in turbid environments andlooking at their behaviour,” explains Lesley,adding that it is important to investigate theseenvironmental changes, as “water bodies areincreasingly impacted by human activitiessuch as agriculture, industry and mining. ” The28 FEATURE

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD influential individuals from arid sites with Painted Spiders shy individuals from elsewhere, these bold Photo credit:Just as the attendees of conference presentation individuals had no effect on colony behaviour,” Jonathan Pruittsessions may behave as an organised social he explains, “but when we paired the less-group of animals, so too can the dominant influential bold individuals from wet sitesbehaviour of a few individuals (you know with shy individuals from wet sites, we foundwho you are) dictate the flow of the group’s that bold individuals were just as effectivefocus. This is also the case for wildlife, where at changing the behaviour of their fosterthe behaviour of a few atypical individuals societies.” These results demonstrate that itcan play a large role in the group dynamics is not purely down to variations in the keyof a population. These traits can often be a behavioural traits that makes bold individualsvaluable asset for an animal society, but how hold sway over a group, but also factors thatdo they arise in the first place? And under affect the willingness of the group to follow.which circumstances does it pay to be bold? “Their social susceptibility is the key for These were questions that Dr Jonathan emergence of social influence,” adds Jonathan,Pruitt, at the University of California in Santa ”and in the truly socially susceptible, anythingBarbara, was keen to answer. His initial interest approximating a leader will do.” Jonathanin the topic was inspired by the tales of wildlife hopes that more research like this will open thebiologists lamenting the actions of one or two door to a deeper understanding of individualindividuals of their study populations acting and group behaviours, and that the meeting ofdifferently, which affected the behaviour of minds during the session this summer will bethe group, and often, the poor biologist’s data an ideal place for people to discuss their ideascollection. Later, he noticed that, even in his and collaborate on new and innovative projects.own study organisms (spiders), a small numberof risk-taking individuals could have an IT SEEMED ODDunexpectedly large influence on the behaviour THAT BOLD INDIVIDUALSand success of their colonies. “This sparkedmy ongoing interest in how rare or extreme- ONLY APPEARED TOphenotyped individuals evolutionarily come BE INFLUENTIAL ATto be, how they wield such social influence, ARID SITES AND NOTand how they influence group performancein contrasting situations,” Jonathan explains. WET SITES In order to evaluate how the rare bold-phenotype spiders affected the collectivebehaviour of their colonies, Jonathan createdexperimental colonies along two precipitationgradients in the Kalahari and Namib deserts,producing so-called “arid sites” and “wetsites”, and ensured that both sites had somecolonies containing bold individuals and somewithout6. “We then monitored the behaviourof each group and observed which colonieslived and died over the next 6 months,” saysJonathan. Interestingly, Jonathan found that,while the braver individuals increased thecollective aggresiveness and survivabilityof the colonies, this was only observed inthe arid sites, leading him to question howdifferences in the environment can affectthe importance of headstrong individualsin a social setting. “It seemed odd that boldindividuals only appeared to be influential atarid sites and not wet sites,” says Jonathan,“and this got us thinking...are bold individualsat arid sites particularly socially influential,relative to their counterparts at wet sites?” In order to learn more about this, Jonathanreplicated the original experiments, but thistime created chimeric societies that containeda mixture of bold individuals from arid siteswith shy individuals from wet sites, andvice versa, to produce surprising results. “What we found was pretty astonishing!”says Jonathan. “When we paired bold, FEATURE 29

OUR NEW GENERATIONOF FISH ROBOTS AREFULLY INTERACTIVEAND CAN BOTH LEAD AND FOLLOW IN A SOCIAL CONTEXT STAY IN SCHOOL! keen on the biomimetic applications of their 1. K illen, S., Nati, J., Suski, C., (2015) Vulnerability of research, especially in generating new ways individual fish to capture by trawling is influenced by“I have always wondered how fish schools of thinking about group problem solving. “We capacity for anaerobic metabolism. Proc. R. Soc B., 282(1813)work, who makes the decisions and how have regular meetings with public institutionsare they transmitted within the group,” and private companies to inform them about 2. P asquaretta, C., Jeanson, R., (2017) Division of labor as asays Dr Jens Krause, a collective behaviour potential applications of collective behaviour bipartite network. Behavioural Ecologyresearcher at Leibniz Institute of Freshwater and collective intelligence,” says Jens. ByEcology and Inland Fishery, Germany. further studying group-living animals, 3. J ohannesen, A., Dunn, A., Morrell, L., (2012) Olfactory cueWhile Jens’ work includes many aspects Jens and his team hope to develop models use by three-spined sticklebacks foraging in turbid water:of research into group behaviour, he is and algorithms that can apply to decision Prey detection or prey location? Animal Behaviour, 84(1)especially interested in how self-organisation making processes in human society, such aswithin animal groups develops into social improving crowd management and improving 4. C hapman, B., Morrell, L., Tosh, C., & Krause, J., (2010)decision making. “Collective cognition is communication between medical professionals Behavioural consequences of sensory plasticity in guppies.a particular interest of mine and we run for improved diagnoses. This session will Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B, 277experimental work both on fish schools be Jens’ first visit to the SEB Annual Mainand human groups on this topic,” says Jens. Meeting, but he is looking forward to seeing 5. Kimbell, H., & Morrell, L., (2015) Turbidity influences Many of Jens’ experiments are designed the research available: “I am excited about individual and group level responses to predation in guppiesto compare the abilities of single fish against making new connections with scientists who (Poecilia reticulata). Animal Behaviour, 103increasingly large schools of fish in order have matching research interests and to beto examine how group size affects the way inspired by those who do something completely 6. P ruitt, J., Goodnight, C., Riechert, S., (2018) Intense groupthe fish function7. And to make things more different!”. selection selects for ideal group compositions, but selectioninteresting, Jens’ research isn’t just limited within groups maintains them. Animal Behaviour, 124to the natural world, as he is also interested Abovein how live fish react to the presence of robotic Robofish 7. Ioannou, C., Krause, J., (2008) Searching for prey: the effectsfish8. “Our new generation of fish robots Photo credit: of group size and number. Animal Behaviour, 75(4)are fully interactive and can both lead and Jens Krausefollow in a social context,” explains Jens. 8. Bierbach D., Lukas J., Bergmann A., Elsner K., Höhne L.,“This allows us to do many experiments Weber C., Weimar N., Arias-Rodriguez L., Mönck H.J.,that were not possible before as we can Nguyen H., Romanczuk P., Landgraf T., Krause J. (2018)now decouple the appearance of a fish from Insights into the Social Behavior of Surface and Cave-its natural behaviour.” The robot fish also Dwelling Fish (Poecilia mexicana) in Light and Darknessallow Jens and his team to experimentally through the Use of a Biomimetic Robot. Frontiers in Roboticstest the collective behaviour algorithms and AI, 5they have developed from theoreticalstudies, and evaluate the performance ofgroup behaviours against simulated models. Jens and his research group are very30 FEATURE

SOCIETY FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY PRESENTS:THE HEIGHT,BREADTH AND DEPTHOF PHYSIOLOGICALDIVERSITY: VARIATIONACROSS LATITUDINAL,ALTITUDINAL ANDDEPTH GRADIENTSSEBIOLOGY.ORG#PHYDIV18 OCEAN DEEP MOUNTAIN HIGHDETAILS SPEAKERS1 JULY 2018 • C URTIS DEUTSCH (UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON,UNITED STATES)FIRENZE FIERA CONGRESS • S TEVEN CHOWN (MONASH UNIVERSITY,AUSTRALIA)AND EXHIBITION CENTRE, • D ANIEL NAYA (UNIVERSIDAD DE LA REPÚBLICA,URUGUAY)FLORENCE, ITALY • J ENNIFER SUNDAY (MCGILL UNIVERSITY,CANADA) • E NRICO REZENDE (PONTIFICAL CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF CHILE,CHILE)ORGANISED BY • F RANCISCO BOZINOVIC (PONTIFICAL CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF CHILE,CHILE)SIMON MORLEY (BRITISH ANTARCTIC • S COTT BENNETT (MEDITERRANEAN INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDIES (IMEDEA),SPAIN)SURVEY, UK); JOHN SPICER (PLYMOUTH • J OHN SPICER (UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH,UK)UNIVERSITY, UK); FRANCISCO • S IMON MORLEY (BRITISH ANTARTIC SURVEY,UK)BOZINOVIC (PONTIFICAL CATHOLIC • N ICHOLAS PAYNE (UNIVERSITY OF ROEHAMPTON,UK)UNIVERSITY OF CHILE, CHILE)

JOURNALS...................................... 32SPOTLIGHT SPOTLIGHT ON ALEX LITTLE................ 34 SPOTLIGHT ON STEPHANIE JOHNSON...... 3632 SPOTLIGHT

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JOURNALS MANIPULATING THE Arabidopsis leaves by manipulating cell cycle CELL/AIR SPACE RATIO TO gene expression, then used X-ray micro- OPTIMIZE PHOTOSYNTHESIS computed tomography (microCT) to measure air spaces in these leaves, and showed that they Cell density and airspace patterning in did have increased photosynthetic capacity. If the leaf can be manipulated to increase so, why not have a solid brick of cells – why does a leaf bother to have air spaces? It is important leaf photosynthetic capacity to balance the surface area needed for gas and water vapour diffusion and for photosynthesis Lehmeier C, Pajor R, Lundgren MR, Mathers and transpiration, so there must be limits. How A, Sloan J, Bauch M, Mitchel A, Bellasio C, important are the distinct palisade and spongy Green A, Bouyer D, Schnittger A, Sturrock C, mesophyll layers in a typical eudicot leaf? What Osborne CP, Rolfe S, Mooney S, Fleming AJ would a “perfect” leaf look like? Given rising CO2 levels, what will a “perfect” leaf look like (2017). The Plant Journal 92, 981-994. in 50 years? The authors are now working to construct a 3D model of photosynthesis in http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ tpj.13727/full rice, to discover how leaf form informs photosynthetic function in crops. Improving photosynthetic efficiency has long Sheila McCormick, Research been a focus of plant breeding and is an obvious Highlights Editor. target for plant biotechnology. Accordingly, there are many ongoing efforts towards this goal, e.g. to improve the efficiency of RubisCO, to introduce CO2-concentrating mechanisms, or to bypass photorespiration. How about an approach based on plant anatomy? The interdisciplinary study by Lehmeier et al. altered the number of cells in Above MicroCT imaging of a block of an Arabidopsis leaf. Top left: microCT scan, with cells and air spaces; Top right: shape and distribution of the air spaces computationally extracted from the left image. Bottom panel: airspaces visualized as a network; each red line represents an air channel. Photo credit: Andrew Mathers34 SPOTLIGHT

COUNTING REPRODUCTIVE MUSKOX WOOLY UNDERCOAT: PEANUTS THAT KEEP INVESTMENT UNEXPECTED TOOL FOR AFLATOXIN AT BAY: A multi-scale CT-scanning approach HEALTH MONITORING AND A THRESHOLD THAT demonstrated in orchids has wide application for non-destructive CONSERVATION MATTERS quantitative imaging Qiviut cortisol in muskoxen as Kiran K. Sharma; Arunima Pothana; Kalyani Staedler YM, Kreisberger T, Manafzadeh a potential tool for informing Prasad; Dilip Shah; Jagdeep Kaur; Deepak S, Chartier M, Handschuh S, Pamperl S, Bhatnagar; Zhi-Yuan Chen; YenjitRaruang; Sontag S, Paun O, Schönenberger J. 2018. conservation strategies Novel computed tomography-based tools Jeffrey W. Cary; Kanniah Rajasekaran; Hari Di Francesco, J., Navarro-Gonzalez, N., Kishan Sudini and Pooja Bhatnagar-Mathur reliably quantify plant reproductive Wynne-Edwards, K., Peacock, S., Leclerc, (2017). Plant Biotechnology Journal, Vol 15, investment. Journal of Experimental L.M., Tomaselli, M., Davison, T., Carlsson, A. and Kutz, S. (2017). Conservation Physiology, DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12846. Botany 69, 525–535. 5(1), cox052. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ Legland D, Devaux M-F, Guillon F. 2018 pbi.12846/abstract Quantitative imaging of plants: multi-scale https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/cox052 Aflatoxin contamination in peanuts is a major data for better plant anatomy. Journal of Climate change leads to more than an increase in challenge for health and nutrition in both Experimental Botany 69, 343–347. ambient temperature. For example, it increases humans and livestock. In this article Sharma et the occurrence of extreme heat events and al., provide convincing data that over-expression https://tinyurl.com/ya2z4tbd disease spreading. These consequences are of defensin genes, or down-regulation of especially true, and perhaps more severe, aflatoxin biosynthetic genes through host-New imaging systems have been critically for populations of animals with low genetic induced gene silencing, can significantlyimportant in advancing our understanding variability or those adapted to cold climates. reduce aflatoxin contamination of inoculatedacross biology, and at different scales. These populations are increasingly exposed peanut seeds. As aflatoxin biosynthesis is aHowever, compromises have always been to multiple stressors and at risk of extinction. complicated process, involving many levelsneeded, not least in tissue fixation and the Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) are large of transcriptional and post-transcriptionalusual reliance on 2D views. In a recent paper herbivores adapted for life in the cold Arctic, controls, the authors based their strategy onin Journal of Experimental Botany, Staedler et whose populations in the Canadian North using transgenics and HIGS tools to generateal. (2018) describe research using computed have been declining. These declines have peanut plants with improved genetic resistancetomography, with imaging of orchid flowers in considerable consequences for local aboriginal to Aspergillus flavus infection and aflatoxin3D at two different scales. This meant almost no communities, who rely on these animals as a contamination. By over-expressing antifungalspecimen destruction (only perianth removal), source of nutrition and an important cultural plant defensins MsDef1 and MtDef4.2, andand no compromise in the field of view, despite element. While the underlying causes for their through host-induced gene silencing of aflMthe high resolution. Their particular study decline remains largely unknown, ecological and aflP genes from the aflatoxin biosyntheticinvolved counting tightly aggregated pollen alterations and disease emergence linked to pathway, the authors were able to demonstrategrains and ovules, both present in very large climate change are thought to be at play. This that the former improves genetic resistancenumbers in orchids. This enabled quantification may occur through changes in cortisol levels, to A. flavus infection, and the latter inhibitsof reproductive investment in ‘deceptive’ and which, in the short-term, have an adaptive aflatoxin production in the event of infection,‘rewarding’ species; there is a balance between coping value, but in the long-term have thus providing a double shield. This study isthe two types, which have very different effects detrimental effects. An exciting new method the first to demonstrate success in generatingon pollinator behaviour. Although a fascinating has been developed recently, where cortisol peanuts that are near-immune to aflatoxinsystem, the methodology also has much wider levels from the previous weeks to months contamination. The work lays the foundation forapplication, the authors noting the possibility were determined from the wooly undercoat the development of improved peanut germplasmof counting any high-contrast objects (also known as qiviut) of 150 wild muskox. with enhanced resistance to A. flavus andinside plant tissues. As might be expected, The findings revealed high variability among opens new perspectives for the developmentintegration of complex data quickly raises new individuals, with males having higher cortisol of aflatoxin resistance strategies in other majorchallenges. These are explained in some detail levels than females, perhaps reflecting social food crops. Deployment of these technologiesin the accompanying Insight by Legland et al. dominance hierarchies. Additionally, summer has tremendous potential not only for health– including the management of meta-data from levels were lower than fall and winter levels, and food safety, but also for translating to betterdifferent individuals, obtained using different perhaps because of the breeding season, or due export markets, which have declined by almosttechniques and visualized at different scales. to stress related to various seasonal factors. half in the last decade due to unacceptable levels Jonathan Ingram, Commissioning Editor. Samples obtained in more recent years showed of aflatoxin contamination. greater levels of cortisol, indicating an increase Jim Ruddock, Managing Editor. in stress within the population. While the exact mechanism behind these patterns is not fully understood, this approach may offer a valuable conservation tool to obtain information about the health status of a population at risk. Kim Birnie-Gauvin, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Denmark. SPOTLIGHT 35

SPOTLIGHT ON… ALEX LITTLE BY ALEX EVANSAt each SEB annual meeting, AND THE AWARD A STUDENT INthe spotlight is shone on some FISH-STRESSof the Society’s youngest and GOES TO...most ardent delegates during Alex is currently working as a postdoctoralthe Young Scientist Award As well as winning the 2013 award at the SEB fellow in the Eliason Lab at the University ofsessions. In 2013, the Animal annual meeting in Valencia, Spain, Alex had California in Santa Barbara. Keen to integrateSection prize was awarded also been shortlisted for the YSA at the 2011 all levels of biological organisation in an effortto Dr Alex Little for his talk meeting in Glasgow, UK. “In both cases it was to understand the physiological tradeoffson the ability of fish to alter just an honour to be shortlisted because there’s associated with plasticity, Alex’s work is nowtheir physiology during a lot of PhDs and postdocs doing really great primarily focused on some of the smallest-scaleacclimation to a stressful science out there,” says Alex. “It meant a lot processes at work. “I am currently investigatingenvironment - and if there’s to be recognized for all the work I had done, the most basic functional mechanismsanyone that can understand and to present against other great researchers that integrate environmental input witha stressful environment, - one of whom currently employs me!” cellular responses,” explains Alex, “and I amit’s an early career researcher. Alex’s award-winning talk highlighted specifically interested in nuclear receptors the work he had completed during his because they alter gene expression programs PhD. “Specifically, I found that the thyroid in response to small molecule compounds.” hormone regulates aerobic metabolism, Building on the results of this work, Alex muscle function and cardiac performance in and his co-workers hope to interpret these zebrafish to maintain locomotor performance changes in the context of wild populations during cold exposure,” says Alex. These facing the quickening onset of complex results were the first to identify the central and uncertain environmental changes. regulator of thermal acclimation in an In order to collect information on such ectotherm, and provided new insights into small-scale interactions, Alex is armed the evolution of endothermy, as well as into with an impressive arsenal of techniques: how increasing levels of global pollution may “I couple physiological measures, including compound the effects of climate change. gene transcription, enzyme assays, Alex’s journey into the world of fish swimming performance and aerobic scope with physiology and environmental stressors pharmacological interventions to block receptor first started during his BSc Honours degree, pathways”. Alex also dabbles in gene editing while studying with Professor Chris Moyes at Queen’s University, Canada. “I was MY SHORT STINT IN looking for evidence of positive selection BIOMOLECULAR SCIENCE in genes that support aerobic metabolism IS ALSO VERY APPEALING in high  performance fish, including Lamnid  sharks, tunas and billfishes,” he TO GRANT AGENCIES says. From there, Alex identified the next, THAT REQUIRE A MORE and more specialised, direction in which he wanted to take his research. “During my MEDICAL SPIN PhD with Frank Seebacher at the University of  Sydney, my  interests shifted to the underlying pathways that regulate responses to environmental stress within an animal’s lifetime (plasticity),” he explains. Since then, Alex’s career has taken him around the world to some amazing locations, which he believes to be of the highlights of his career so far.36 SPOTLIGHT

and manipulation using gateway cloning to keep in mind – especially for those thinking says Alex, and adds “even after almost 5 years,technology and CRISPR transgenesis to focus of applying for the SEB’s YSA in the future. grant panels and hiring committees alwayson specific regulatory roles of these receptors “Apply for opportunities, even if you doubt make the point to highlight my Young Scientistin coordinating complex plastic responses. “We your competitiveness,” he says, adding that Award win from 2013.”are also using invertebrate models, with only it’s beneficial for young scientists to try takinga subset of the nuclear receptor repertoire of on positions and projects that may be beyond EVEN AFTER ALMOSTvertebrates, to explore the regulation of plastic their immediate research interests to widen 5 YEARS, GRANT PANELSphenotypes,” adds Alex, “as these models their skillset and expand their experiences. AND HIRING COMMITTEESprovide an early benchmark to anchor the “Diversify your perspective in your own ALWAYS MAKE THE POINTevolution of molecular pathways for plasticity”. niche and it may help expand your platform for TO HIGHLIGHT MY YOUNG Alex also describes the exciting range of funding opportunities,” says Alex. Alex himself SCIENTIST AWARD WINtopics and species he currently finds himself successfully applied for a 2-year postdocworking with: “I’m currently involved in in a drug screening lab at the University of FROM 2013projects looking at sex-specific differences Toronto - a position that seemed relativelyin thermal tolerance in pacific salmon, and unrelated to his fishy knowledge base, but Aboveepigenetic regulators of plasticity in zebrafish.” the experience proved to be very useful for Gonad perfusion of female cohoHowever, he hopes to build on this work in his research career as he explains: “I learned salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)order to look at the inherent costs of plasticity. biomolecular techniques that I’m currently for isolated tissue respirometry“If we start to understand the specific using to explore important gaps in comparative Photo credit:mechanisms that control plastic responses to biology. My short stint in biomolecular Alex Littlestressors in isolation, we can begin to make science is also very appealing to grantpredictions about stressor combinations that agencies that require a more medical spin.”drive interfering or incompatible pathways Finally, Alex advises that early careerfor plasticity.” researchers reach out to organisations and communities, such as the Society forSCIENTISTS OF TOMORROW Experimental Biology and the Company of Biologists, for both professional and financialFollowing a career in research can seem like a support with their careers. “The SEB anddaunting future for today’s young scientists. CoB have been great in providing short-term“I think funding is a definite challenge faced funding opportunities for travel and trainingby early career researchers,” says Alex, “and that can really help link together longer-termpostdoc life can be difficult because of a lack of contracts and help eliminate gaps in CVs.”opportunity and job security.” However, don’t And of course, what better way to reach out tobe too disheartened, as Alex has some advice these organisations than to attend their annual meetings and apply for the YSA award yourself! “Society meetings are really great places to get your work out there and promote yourself,” SPOTLIGHT 37

SPOTLIGHT ON… STEPHANIE JOHNSON BY CAROLINE WOODFormer SEB Young Scientist S “cience always appealed to me – the most people I had ever presented to at aAward Winner Steph because I felt that it could help me conference” Steph says. “But I really enjoyedJohnson perfectly illustrates make a difference in some way in the preparations as it forced me to take a stephow the skills gained the world, even if only on a small back and think about how to present my workthrough a PhD in research in a story that others could understand, and toneedn’t tie you to the lab scale” Steph says. She was inspired think about the bigger picture. I was incrediblybench. Caroline Wood caught flattered to win the award, as it gave me realup with her to find out what to choose the plant sciences when she was confidence in my abilities as a researcher.”happened since she won the Perhaps the most valuable consequenceaward for the Plant Section awarded a place on a plant science summer of the competition for Steph however wasat the SEB 2014 Annual realising how much she enjoyed communicatingMeeting in Manchester. school funded by the GATSBY Charitable science. “Having to summarise my project for a broad audience really made me focus on Foundation, during her undergraduate degree what was most appealing and important” she says. “During my PhD, I also really enjoyed in biology (Durham University). This was an writing abstracts and papers, and taking intensive course of workshops and lectures by HAVING TO SUMMARISE MY PROJECT FOR A world-renowned professors, with a focus on BROAD AUDIENCE REALLY how research on plants can be applied to solve MADE ME FOCUS ON WHAT global challenges. “I was particularly influenced WAS MOST APPEALING AND IMPORTANT by a talk from one of the researchers involved part in science-outreach events.” It was with producing golden rice – it just seemed such thus only natural that, as she came to the end of her project, she was already thinking exciting work!” she says. The following year, about science communication as a career. Curiously enough, it was actually at she applied for, and was awarded, a Sainsbury the Women in Science Dinner at the SEB Manchester meeting that Steph first learned Studentship to fund a summer research project about her current work. “I happened to be sitting next to a medical writer who told me at the French National Center for Scientific how her role involved turning scientific data into an interesting story that others could easily Research, in Paris, investigating receptors understand. This seemed ideal for me” Steph for the plant hormone auxin. “It was the first time I had lived away from home but I really enjoyed the experience – I loved having my own little project and learnt lots of new techniques, besides a bit of French!” remembers Steph. For her PhD project at Durham University, Steph worked on sorghum – a grain crop that is often grown in very hot and dry conditions. Her particular interest was a trait called ‘stay- green’ which improves drought tolerance. Using transcriptomic approaches to investigate gene expression, she identified a number of genes and proteins that seemed promising candidates behind the phenotype. These included proline, an osmoprotectant that can protect against reactive oxygen species, and also genes associated with regulating water loss through the stomata on the leaves. Steph became a member of the SEB right at the start of her PhD, the Society having been recommended by her lab group. Before the 2014 meeting in Manchester, her PhD supervisor (Marc Knight, Durham University) suggested that she submitted an application to the Plant Section for their Young Scientist Award.“When I was shortlisted, I didn’t know what to expect and it was an intimidating prospect to present my work to so many experts38 SPOTLIGHT

says. JustbeforeshefinishedherPhD,sheapplied to go wrong so that you I HAVE TO GET TO GRIPSto be an Associate Medical Writer at McCann didn’t get a result. Now, WITH DIFFERENT TOPICSComplete Medical and now works as a medical I know that if I work hard, I willwriter at Nucleus Global, based in Manchester. at least get a physical result” she says. AND NEW THERAPIES “Our main role is to act as a consultancy She also emphasises that a medical writer is a VERY QUICKLYto the pharmaceutical industry, and advise very secure job with a clear career progression:clients on the best way to raise awareness of her current ambition is to be promoted SPOTLIGHT 39new drugs for different audiences” she says. to Senior Medical writer, with theDespite being a complete transition from plant eventual possibility of working asscience, she constantly uses the skills she a freelancer.gained from her PhD, particularly analysing Toanyoneinterestedinthiscareer,results and deciding on the most effective way she advises communicating and writingto present them. Far from being “one person sat about science as much as possible, includingat a computer all day”, she is keen to stress that abstracts, publications, blogs and at sciencemedical writing is a very collaborative job and outreach events. “They are all experiences thatinvolves a real diversity of tasks. In the course you can use in an interview to show that you canof a single day, her tasks can include working present science to different audiences” she says.with the digital team to develop content for an Outside her work, she is currently usingeLearning module, calling a client to discuss her PhD project-planning skills to organisecontent for a new slide deck, organising her wedding, whilst also training for a 10Klogistics for an advisory board meeting or running event. She also enjoys travellingworking on a manuscript describing new and experiencing new cultures and reflectedclinical data. For her, the variety of the role is that one of the best things about her PhD wasone of the key appeals, besides the opportunity the opportunity to visit Australia and Indiato work on many different therapeutic areas to work with collaborators.“I feel incrediblyand projects. “But on the other hand, it does lucky to have had such amazing opportunitiesmean that I have to get to grips with different during my PhD and I look forward to the manytopics and new therapies very quickly. One opportunities ahead in my career as a medicalof my current projects, for instance, involves writer” she concludes.new treatments for HIV, so I have rapidly hadto become an expert in this area” she says. One thing she does miss though, is comingup with her own hypotheses to test. “Most of ourwork is driven by our clients” she explains. “Themore structured style of working was also a bitof a shock to the system to begin with, includinghaving to fill out timesheets!” Having saidthat, she isn’t nostalgic for the more repetitivetasks that a PhD entails, remembering, forinstance, that she used to spend a lot of timeweighing leaves to measure water loss. “Therewas also the fact that you could spend weekssetting up an experiment, only for something

HOW TO LAUNCH YOUR OWN SCIENCESEB+ COMMUNICATION SOCIETY....................40 IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO START STANDING UP FOR SCIENCE..................42 COMMUNICATING YOUR SCIENCE TO THE PUBLIC.................................43 USING GRADEMARK TO IMPROVE FEEDBACK AND ENGAGE STUDENTS IN THE MARKING PROCESS....................48 BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN TEACHING AND RESEARCH-FOCUSED LIFE SCIENCE ACADEMICS IN UK .............................50 EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY AT THE SEB.....52 WORKING WITH MARINE PARKS...............53 TRAVEL GRANTS TO GO........................54 MARINE DEBRIS: ARE THERE SOLUTIONS TO THIS GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM? ..................5840 SEB+

4 SEB+ 41

HOW TO LAUNCH YOUR OWN SCIENCE COMMUNICATION SOCIETY BY CAROLINE WOOD To me, nothing is more WHAT DOES YOUR fulfilling than organising COMMUNITY NEED? inspiring events that communicate the value of It’s easy to see a grant opportunity, coming scientific research to the up with a wacky idea for an outreach event wider public. So, when I had and then trying to work out how it can fit the opportunity to help your local community. But this approach is launch a new branch of the the wrong way around: start by asking what British Science Association your community really needs. One of our in Sheffield, I simply couldn’t most successful events was a partnership resist! It has been a challenge with a local organisation that supports and a real learning curve people with mental health conditions. We that has introduced me to developed the event together, holding focus all sorts of new areas – groups with potential participants. This volunteer management, made our grant proposal really strong, as grant proposals, risk we could demonstrate that there was a real assessments to name but interest and state what the benefits would a few. For anyone else be for the participants. Since then, we have thinking of setting up their been approached by other community groups own public-engagement interested in hosting a science-themed event, Society, here are my top tips: including theatres, schools, prisons, museums and libraries. CLARIFY YOUR ROLES When you set up your committee, make sure you clarify exactly what each role is responsible for, especially if there is the potential for overlap – this can save a lot of confusion later! But don’t be afraid to make adjustments or add more roles if necessary. We started with just one person responsible42 SEB+

MAKE SURE YOUDON’T COME ACROSS AS ‘EXCLUSIVE’for all social media, but later expanded this to Other volunteers are keen photographers, MAKE THE EFFORTa sub-committee so that we could share the so we now have an extensive archive of TO FIND OUT WHATburden and set up a rota for managing our promotional photographs from our events.Twitter account. Volunteers often also have contacts with SKILLS YOUR other local organisations, which can be VOLUNTEERS WANT TO BE INCLUSIVE invaluable for organising collaborative events. Besides the talents that volunteers DEVELOP FURTHERMake sure you don’t come across as ‘exclusive’; already have, make the effort to find outholding your meetings in academic buildings, what areas your volunteers want to develop Abovefor instance, can signal that volunteers need further, so that they can really benefit BSA Nature Detectives Eventa science background to join. Be creative in from participating in your Society. We sent Photo credit:using local outlets for promoting your Society a simple email survey to new volunteers Daniella Sasaki– our approaches have included posters in asking what skills they particularly wantlibraries and cafes, appearing on local radio, more experience of. This identified a groupattending volunteering fairs and handing out who were particularly keen to write scienceflyers at science festivals. Also, remember blogs and now contribute posts for our website.that not everyone has Facebook and thateven those who don’t use the internet can be HAVE FUN!valuable volunteers, so make sure you stillreach them. Launching a new organisation is a challenge, but one that is highly rewarding. Besides WHAT ARE YOUR making a difference to your community, it VOLUNTEERS PASSIONATE can introduce you to like-minded people who understand your passion for science. Besides ABOUT? planning science events, our members like to organise cinema trips, hikes in the PeakTalk to your volunteers and find out what their District, cake-making sessions and a wholeskills and interests are. One of our members, host of other things. So do enjoy yourself: yourfor instance, works for Google and has a real Society is what you make it, with the possibilityflair for computer coding, which gave us of all sorts of exciting directions to take.the confidence to launch our own website. Find out more about the Sheffield branch of the British Science Association at bsasheffield.org SEB+ 43

IT’S NEVER TOO EARLYTO START STANDING UP FOR SCIENCE BY ANASTASIA SKAMARAUSKAS SENSE ABOUT SCIENCESense about Science is an A s a charity we champion the publicindependent campaigning interest in sound science and ascharity that runs the Voice such we think it is the responsibilityof Young Science (VoYS)network. With the support of scientists and researchers to take ENGAGING WITH MEDIA,of universities and learned POLICY AND THE PUBLICsocieties across Europe, the an active role in public discussions of science CAN MAKE YOU STAND OUTearly career researchers that AND BE A REAL ASSET TOmake up this international and evidence. This doesn’t need to wait untilnetwork are encouraged and YOUR DEPARTMENTempowered to stand up for you’re 30 years into your career and, in fact,science in public discussion. The tips and advice from these guides it shouldn’t - you can start taking part today. are shared at our VoYS workshops. These are 44 SEB+ free events that bring panels of journalists, The shifting focus towards public policymakers, press officers and experienced researchers to audiences of early career engagement means that investing time in researchers from across STEM. Panels are led by audience questions and address their concerns communicating research with the public is about speaking out whilst giving practical tips on how to do it. We end with an interactive an investment in your career. Universities session on how to engage people with research. Attendees join the VoYS network and respond positively to their researchers become part of a community that takes responsibility for public discussions on commenting in the media – on work in your science and evidence. VoYS members share their activities, run campaigns field as well as just your own research. Reading on issues they feel strongly about and support each other in their efforts. and evaluating a paper is something early So what can an early career researcher do today? Get in touch with your press officer career researchers are qualified to do and can and let them know you’re happy to comment on your research area. Look out for inquiries help journalists put what they’re reporting run by parliamentary select committees on parliament.uk – you can submit evidence to on into context. Engaging with media, any inquiry. Get in touch with local community groups who might have questions about your policy and the public can make you stand area of work that you can help them get to grips with. And of course, join the VoYS network2 out and be a real asset to your department. and apply for a workshop! That said, I don’t want to give the 1. Public Engagement: a Practical Guide http:// senseaboutscience.org/activities/public-engagement-guide/ impression that public engagement should be a 2. VoYS Network: senseaboutscience.org/voys tick box exercise. We have taken on challenging topics like children’s heart surgery survival data, working with researchers and interest groups to communicate that data to the public. The researchers often gain as much insight as the audience, taking the lessons into future activities. The children’s heart surgery project had a lot of positive press and a great reaction from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) who funded it, but the real target was parents like Alex. “Martin and I now have a better understanding of the critical questions to ask - especially if hospital statistics hit the news again. We know how the NHS monitors hospitals and we find it reassuring to know there is a site we can go to for impartial and trustworthy information.”- Alex Smith, mum of a child with a heart condition. After the success of this project we wanted to share our approach to public engagement – public-led, expert-fed – and with the help of NIHR, created “Public engagement: a Practical Guide”1. This is the latest in our resources for researchers on standing up for science.

COMMUNICATINGYOUR SCIENCE TO THE PUBLIC BY SABINA BABAScience communication to CRUISING IN ANTARCTICA SOME AREAS THAT WEREnon-scientific audiences COVERED BY SNOWhas many benefits for For the past fifteen years, Craig Franklin, theresearchers and the public SEB’s Vice-President, has been regularly taking AND ICE AS RECENTLY ASalike. For scientists this is his summer vacation to travel to the Southern EARLY THIS CENTURYan opportunity to explain Ocean and visit Antarctica as a lecturer and HAVE BECOME ICE FREEtheir work and why it is naturalist on board cruise ships. He providesimportant which in turn could expert insight and delivers a commentary about Abovegain more public support the wonders of the coldest, driest and windiest Gentoo penguinsfor their research. And you continent and its spectacular wildlife. He has Photo credit:may even find that you will logged more than 30 trips to the Antarctic Craig Franklinget ideas you never thought Peninsula and in doing so has had to cross theabout for your research. For Drake Passage, between the tip of South Americathe general public, we often and the Antarctic Peninsula, which althoughfind that the media might arguably one of the most challenging stretchesnot always communicate of ocean on the planet, is an excellent place tothe latest scientific findings see the large albatrosses of the Southern Ocean.accurately and that it tends For Craig, lecturing on board these shipsto focus on the most popular provides an opportunity to enhance thestories. Scientists can play an passengers’ experiences, appreciation andimportant role here by helping understanding of the wildlife and ecosystemsto better inform the public. In this article we caughtup with some of our membersto find out about their sciencecommunication activities. SEB+ 45

they encounter. The first lecture passengers In 2003, he wrote the Antarctica Cruising Guide Aboveget is on the Antarctic Marine Ecosystem and (AWA Press) with Peter Carey, which provides Craig Franklinthe challenges for life inhabiting water at a an introduction to the places you can visit ontemperature of -1.86oC. What he particularly ships and the wildlife you may encounter.enjoys is lecturing about the physiology and Regrettably, during his time travelling tofunctional morphology of the animals the Antarctica, Craig has seen the clear effects ofpassengers get to see. This includes giving global warming around the Antarctic Peninsulalectures on gliding and dynamic soaring and South Shetland Islands. “Some areas thatin albatrosses and the diving physiology were covered by snow and ice as recently asof seals and penguins. He even gives a live early this century have become ice free anddemonstration of the diving reflex by getting some places have become greener, with plantsa colleague to put his head into a bucket of ice- exploiting the warmer conditions”, explainscold water and showing the rapid decrease in Craig. “There have also been substantial declineshis heart rate in real-time on a large screen. in the size of some Adelie penguin colonies on the Craig first went down to Antarctica in Antarctic Peninsula over the past few decades”.1985 as a Ph.D. student, with his supervisor Bill One of the most important lectures Craig givesDavison, when he worked at New Zealand’s Scott is on Threats to Antarctic Conservation, whereBase on the thermal physiology of Antarctic fish. he talks about the impacts of human activity onHe later took up a post-doctoral fellowship with the continent and its biodiversity. It is here thatIan Johnston at the Gatty Marine Laboratory, Craig feels he has the greatest impact in termsUniversity of St. Andrews, which allowed of educating and making passengers aware ofhim to continue his research on Antarctic the effects of global environmental change. Itfish. Eight further research expeditions to surprises many passengers, especially givenScott Base have fuelled his fascination for the that Antarctica is regarded as one of the world’swonders of this continent and its biodiversity. most pristine places. WE ALSO INITIATED A TRAINING COURSE FORPODCASTERS AND INVITEDSTUDENTS, NON-STUDENT RESIDENTS AND THE PEOPLE FROM THE VILLAGES IN THE WIDER REGION TO PARTICIPATE46 SEB+

SCIENCE ON THE RADIO and we now have 10 new radio shows running WE NOW HAVE 10 in parallel, of which four deal directly with NEW RADIO SHOWSA PhD student atAlbert Katz International science and campus life”. RUNNING IN PARALLEL,School for Desert Studies (Ben Gurion Talking about how he selects researchers OF WHICH FOUR DEALUniversity, Israel), Buzi Raviv is investigating to be interviewed on their shows, Buzi looks DIRECTLY WITH SCIENCEthe dead plant tissues that encapsulate for scientists who can deliver their message AND CAMPUS LIFEembryos in the dispersal units of plants, such in layman’s terms. He also attends theas seed coats, indehiscent dry pericarps and seminars of the researchers he wishes to Leftglumes. However Buzi did not always dream interview, to get familiarized with the topic Broadcaster Course Graduationof becoming a scientist, but rather he always and the researcher before the interview. Photo credit:wanted to be on the radio. “I never gave myself “I learned a lot about interviewing Aharon Fait, BGUa real chance”, he says, “There was always the throughout the project”, he says. “For exampleother thing to do: finish high school, complete I have developed the ability to participatea bachelor’s degree, and work for my PhD”. in a seminar and identify very quickly So when he recently noticed that many which questions to ask the researcher thatpeople around him were doing their research would also be interesting for our audience”.while listening to podcasts he came up with To widen the reach of their content tothe idea of combining his passion for science scientists worldwide but also to the public,with his dream of being on the radio by Buzi and the team are working towardsbroadcasting science. “I thought what if they forming collaborations with other radiocould listen to good music but also science stations. “We are currently collaborating withdiscoveries from the neighbouring labs? And a storytelling community in the US and webetter yet, what if the public could listen to share each other’s shows to our communities”,these as well?” Looking into this he realized says Buzi. “We are also currently in thethat it is possible to create a broadcast through process of reaching out to local radio stationsinternet radio and so his project began. to share our content so that we communicate “I started the project in January 2017. to an even w ider public aud ience”.I firstly looked for partners and found four For anyone who is interested in startingother students who were excited about the their own radio show to communicate science,idea” says Buzi. “We began broadcasting Buzi mentions that “all you need technicallyweekly, mostly in English and we aimed for is a recording device that could even be youra wide public. After 6 months of activity phone, free editing software and a computer”.using basic recording and editing means, He adds to also “talk about the initiative withwe decided to ask for funding from the everyone as you must find diverse partners”.University and fortunately they agreed to support our initiative. And so we established Find out more about the radio show here: https://www.mixcloud.com/sbradio101/ . a management team and a professional recording studio. We also initiated a training course for podcasters and invited students, non-student residents and the people from the villages in the wider region to participate. To date 12 new podcasters have completed the course SEB+ 47

I AIMED TO PRESENT NEWADVANCES ABOUT HUMAN EVOLUTION THROUGH A BROADER PERSPECTIVETHAN THE EVOLUTION OF BIPEDALISM ALONE PUBLIC TALK AT THE of bipedalism alone. Indeed, humans are Above bipedal animals, but why are we walking Francois Druelle MUSEUM OF NATURAL in such a particular manner? Although this Photo credit: question has been asked throughout the Menelia Vasilopoulou-Kampitsi HISTORY 20th Century, it still remains unanswered today. However, thanks to new research Do you actively try to communicate yourBased in the Laboratory for Functional frameworks on non-human primates as science to the general public or have youMorphology at the University of Antwerp, well as on ourselves, our perspectives are recently been involved in any scienceDr Francois Druelle’s research is looking changing, and we are now asking whether this communication activities? We’d loveat understanding animal locomotion, (bipedal) manner to move is really so special, to hear about it! Get in touch with us onincluding human locomotion. For this and whether it is the only special locomotor [email protected] and you may get yourpurpose, he works at the boundary between characteristic that humans have (e.g. among story published in our magazine or onbehaviour, biomechanics and anatomy on other climbing and suspensory capacities).” our website.different species, from lizards to primates. Talking about his research to a non-expert Francois is fascinated by the locomotor audience has been a fantastic experienceevolution of primates and our close for Francois. “Science communication tophylogenetic relationship with these species large audiences is particularly important inmakes him very curious. “The apparent ease fundamental research as it is the only way toby which these animals move from the ground engage with the wider public and I have alwaysto the tree, from tree to tree, and adjust their felt dedicated to communicating my work”, hemovements in their natural environments, says. He also believes that it is an importantis simply impressive”, says Francois. “I have way for sharing and improving knowledge ofbeen a doctor in Biology for almost one year science in society and for encouraging newnow and I feel very lucky to be studying generations to keep researching. “I thus triedlocomotor dynamics in animals. Hence, to present the audience with a broader picturehaving the opportunity to talk about animal than I usually do in a scientific congress. And(primate) locomotion makes me very glad.” since wonder generates questions, I also tried He recently had such an opportunity to to show how astonished and curious I amshare his knowledge and fascination with about the mechanisms of the natural wonders,this subject with the wider public by giving such as primate locomotion”, explainsa talk at the Museum of Natural History in Francois. “Indeed, my fascination for natureAix-en-Provence (France) as part of their Fall is, undoubtedly, the initial motivation forConference Cycle. “I have been invited to speak my research and discussing and sharing thisthere by a colleague, Dr Guy Dubreuil, who is fascination in addition to scientific knowledgethe former director of the CNRS primatology to large audiences is the perfect opportunitystation in Aix-en-Provence where I used to to link pleasant exchanges and work.”collect data for my PhD”, he explains. “During this talk, I aimed to present newadvances about human evolution througha broader perspective than the evolution48 SEB+

SOCIETY FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGYSEB MEMBERSHIP70% OF MEMBERS LEARNABOUT SEB THROUGHWORD OF MOUTHSEBIOLOGY.ORG#SEBPACK JOIN THE PACKMAKE EXTRAORDINARY THINK BIG DO MORE FAST TRACKCONNECTIONS TAKE PART IN CROSS- APPLY FOR GRANTS AND YOUR CAREERNETWORK AND BUILD DISCIPLINARY SPONSORSHIP TO INCREASE ACCESS JOURNALS,RELATIONSHIPS WITH CONFERENCES AND YOUR OPPORTUNITIES EDUCATION ANDEXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGISTS SHARE INNOVATIVE TRAINING SUPPORTFROM AROUND THE WORLD AND INSPIRING DATA, IDEAS AND RESULTS

USING GRADEMARK® TO IMPROVE FEEDBACKAND ENGAGE STUDENTS IN THE MARKING PROCESS BY ALISON GRAHAM AND SARA MARSHAM, NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY Many of us will be familiar with the frustration that students frequently express towards the assessment and feedback process: e.g., marking criteria are too generic, feedback is too negative and not useful, etc. In response to this, we embarked on a project, backed by funding from our university’s Learning and Teaching Innovation Fund, to improve the clarity of marking criteria, link feedback more explicitly to criteria, and to help students understand the criteria and be able to apply it to their own work. We also wanted to produce a system that created equity between marks and feedback even if the work was marked by different assessors. Left Alison Graham Photo credit: Sarah Marsham50 SEB+