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Ove Nilsson's group has identified a "temperature sensor" that helps trees integrate temperature and day length when deciding to enter dormancy. Four of the six authors of the study are still active in the group (from left to right): Keh Chien Lee, Laura García Romañach, Bo Zhang, Ove Nilsson (photo: Anne Honsel).
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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From bud burst to bud set: The different stages of the annual growth cycle in a juvenile aspen tree. Illustration: Domenique André
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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To investigate how the apical hook forms and opens, researchers grow thale cress seedlings in darkness. Photo: Qian Ma
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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Rubén Casanova Sáez is loading a sample into the microfluidics unit of the C-trap instrument. Photo: Mattias Pettersson, Umeå University
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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The main authors of the study, Totte Niittylä (left) and Wei Wang (right), began working with OPENER while searching for unknown genes essential for early seed development in Arabidopsis. Photo: Rebecca Forsberg
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.
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Laura Tünnermann (middle) received the Marschner Young Scientist Award in Porto from Marta Vasconcelos (right) from the Catholic University of Portugal and president of the International Plant Nutrition Council and from selection committee member Zed Rengel (left) from the University of Western Australia (photo credit: International Plant Nutrition Council).
Last week, the International Plant Nutrition Council announced the winners of the prestigious Marschner Young Scientist Award. Laura Tünnermann was selected as one of two recipients in the PhD student category and received the award at the 20th International Plant Nutrition Colloquium in Porto.
Read more: Laura Tünnermann receives the Marschner Young Scientist Award
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Researchers from various disciplines came together in Umeå in June to discuss their work related to tree ring research (photo: Anne Honsel).
From 15 to 20 June, tree rings were in focus in Umeå during the international TRACE 2025 conference. Around 150 researchers and students from archaeology, climatology and ecology gathered to exchange knowledge and methodologies for tree ring analysis while enjoying the long Swedish summer days.
Read more: Tree rings build cross-disciplinary bridges at TRACE 2025 in Umeå
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Always fascinated by microbes, Tinkara Bizjak-Johansson investigated bacterial and fungal communities in boreal forests during her PhD in Annika Nordin's research group (photo: Anne Honsel).
Microbes like bacteria and fungi are all around us, yet we rarely notice them. Tinkara Bizjak-Johansson studied microbial communities in boreal forests and showed that fertilisation shifts fungal community composition in the soil but does not affect nitrogen-fixing bacteria in conifer needles.
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Jian-Feng Mao led the international team that developed the new long non-coding RNA analysis tool (photo: Mattias Pettersson, Umeå University).
An international research team, led by Jian-Feng Mao, have developed PlantLncBoost, a new computational tool that helps to identify long non-coding RNAs in plants. These RNAs are crucial for numerous biological processes but differ a lot between different plant species. PlantLncBoost addresses this challenge with very high accuracy offering new possibilities for genomic studies in plants. These findings were recently published in the journal New Phytologist.
Read more: New computational tool helps to identify long non-coding RNAs