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Climate change likely leads to thinner snow cover during winter in northern Europe, leaving tree roots more exposed to cold. PhD student Tuuli Aro found that boreal tree species respond differently to this kind of stress and highlights how genomic tools can help breed for more frost-tolerant trees.
Read more: Thinner snow, colder roots – boreal trees show unique cold responses

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Tamara Hernández-Verdeja shifted her research focus to chloroplasts when joining Åsa Strand’s group at UPSC and chloroplasts are still keeping her curiosity alive. End of last year, she received a Ramón y Cajal fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, enabling her to move back to Spain and establish her own research line. In this interview, we have asked her about her career, her motivation to stay in academia and her favourite memories from her time at UPSC.

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PhD student Özer Erguvan discovered two key sites in plant cell walls that help cells stick together - findings that challenge textbook knowledge. He also found that sugars play a role in this process. In this interview, he shares insights from his PhD journey.
Read more: New discovery challenges old assumptions about how plant cells stick together

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On October 10, Laura García Romañach, a PhD student at SLU, will take to the stage at SciFest to compete in the Researcher's Grand Prix. Using dating apps as a metaphor, she will explain the science behind tree breeding – and why her research is crucial in the face of climate change.
Read more: Looking for the perfect tree partner – Laura competes in the Researcher's Grand Prix

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Even in summer, sudden cold snaps are common in northern regions such as Umeå. To survive, trees must know when to keep growing and when to stop and prepare for winter. Now, researchers at UPSC have discovered how aspen trees sense temperature and combine it with daylight to make that decision.
Read more: Aspen trees integrate light and temperature to time bud set

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Aspen trees follow a precise annual rhythm, shaped by the changing seasons. Researchers at UPSC have mapped this natural calendar at the genetic level, comparing trees grown outdoors and in the lab. Their study offers a detailed look into the molecular choreography behind the trees’ seasonal life.
Read more: Scientists map aspen tree genes across seasons, creating a detailed genetic roadmap

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In December last year, Luis Berríos-Negrón, UmArts Research Fellow in Art and Architecture, staged a performance at the UPSC Tree Phenotyping Platform, reimagining it as a ‘tree nursery’. To challenge conventional views of forests and propose trees as sentient beings worthy of care, he transformed the scientific setting into a multisensory experience using sound art, song and live action. In this interview, he talks about the roots of his research and what drew him to the UPSC platform.
Read more: Artistic research turns tree science into a sensory experience

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Seedlings bend their tip as they grow through soil, then straighten when they reach light. Scientists from Umeå have, after years of challenging research, identified a protein that promotes this straightening by regulating cell growth through the plant hormone auxin.

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The C-Trap Facility at Umeå Plant Science Centre is the result of a joint effort of different departments and faculties at Umeå University. Now fully operational, it opens up exciting new possibilities for research at the single molecule scale. At the heart of the facility is the C-trap instrument, which combines laser-based optical tweezers with advanced microfluidics and confocal microscopy, enabling scientists to manipulate and observe dynamic molecular processes in real time.
Read more: New research facility allows scientists to watch molecules in action

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Scientists have uncovered the functions of many genes and proteins across different organisms, but much is still unknown. Now, researchers at Umeå Plant Science Centre have identified the function of a protein complex involved in establishing protein production in plants.