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Resurrection plants: The key to surviving drought
Thu Feb 25, 18:00 - Thu Feb 25, 20:00
Truth Coffee Roasting
ABOUT
Resurrection plants can survive in extreme drought by entering a dormant state, appearing dead anywhere from months to years, but miraculously coming back to life shortly after rainfall. This is a rare phenomenon, occurring only in about 135 flowering plant species.
Jill Farrant’s group researches the mechanisms that give resurrection plants their extreme desiccation tolerance. They aim to introduce or activate these mechanisms in crops to improve their drought tolerance.
Jill will be talking about the systems-biology approach (using techniques in molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology and physiology) she has used to study resurrection plants, touch on the contentious issue of genetic modification, and give a glimpse into her future plans in this field.
Check out this time-lapse video Jill's group made of resurrection plants coming back to life.
Jill Farrant’s group researches the mechanisms that give resurrection plants their extreme desiccation tolerance. They aim to introduce or activate these mechanisms in crops to improve their drought tolerance.
Jill will be talking about the systems-biology approach (using techniques in molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology and physiology) she has used to study resurrection plants, touch on the contentious issue of genetic modification, and give a glimpse into her future plans in this field.
Check out this time-lapse video Jill's group made of resurrection plants coming back to life.
OUR SPEAKER
Jill Farrant
Jill Farrant is a Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology at UCT, holding a South African Research Chair in “Systems Biology Studies on Plant Desiccation Tolerance for Food Security”. She is a leader in the field of plant desiccation tolerance (holding a rarely given A-rated status by the South African National Research Foundation). She was awarded the L’Oreal-UNESCO award in Life Sciences in 2012 that ‘recognizes women whose exceptional careers in science have opened up new and sometimes revolutionary ways of improving human well-being’ and the EPFL WISH Foundation Erma Hamburger award for ‘ground breaking work in phytology and being a exceptional role model to plant biologists world wide’.
Follow her on twitter at @JillFarrant or check out her website.
Follow her on twitter at @JillFarrant or check out her website.
Links
Jill is an experienced public speaker and has been interviewed for a number of news stories.
Here are some highlights:
TED talk: "How we can make crops survive without water"
BBC: "Could resurrection plants be the future of food?"
Daily Maverick: "Jill Farrant: The Resurrection Plant - and Woman"
You can find more on her website.
Here are some highlights:
TED talk: "How we can make crops survive without water"
BBC: "Could resurrection plants be the future of food?"
Daily Maverick: "Jill Farrant: The Resurrection Plant - and Woman"
You can find more on her website.
DIRECTIONS
Resurrection plants: The key to surviving drought
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