Image: Wikimedia Commons.
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Arabidopsis must die(?)

Image: Wikimedia Commons.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.

It looks like somebody has taken the Danish advice to obliterate weeds in my previous item too far in producing a list of ‘The top 10 ways to kill arabidopsis’. Now, I know that for many of us Arabidopsis is a weed (after all its common name is l’herbe mauvais – allegedly – in French), but even I acknowledge that it does have important plant biological uses. So, before the arabidophiles amongst my legion of adoring fans reach to turn the flamethrower or pan of boiling water on me, I ought to explain that the full title of that list is actually ‘The top 10 ways to kill arabidopsis…….by accident (honest guv)’. It is in fact handy hints of how to avoid killing off the botanical equivalent of the lab rat (which was conveniently ignored in many of the media reports that commented on this item). So, that’s all right, then. [More arabidopsis culture tips, etc here– Ed.]

Nigel Chaffey

I am a Botanist and former Senior Lecturer in Botany at Bath Spa University (Bath, near Bristol, UK). As News Editor for the Annals of Botany I contributed the monthly Plant Cuttings column to that august international phytological organ for almost 10 years. I am now a freelance plant science communicator and Visiting Research Fellow at Bath Spa University. I also continue to share my Cuttingsesque items - and appraisals of books with a plant focus - with a plant-curious audience at Botany One. In that guise my main goal is to inform (hopefully, in an educational, and entertaining way) others about plants and plant-people interactions, and thereby improve humankind's botanical literacy. I'm happy to be contacted to discuss potential writing - or talking - projects and opportunities.
[ORCID: 0000-0002-4231-9082]

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