I presented a talk to the Plant Chromosome Biology Conference in Vienna in September 2025. The abstract was Cytogenomics of oat (Avena) genome evolution: Intra- and inter-genomic chromosomal translocations, repetitive DNA dynamics, and reconstruction of ancestral grass karyotypes show genome evolution in actionPat Heslop-Harrison1,2, Trude Schwarzacher1,2, Paulina Tomaszewska1,3, Qing Liu21University of Leicester, Institute for Environmental…
Tag: science
Food from Grass: Genetics and Digital Twins to optimize ruminant agricultural sustainability
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, generated by ruminants (cows, sheep, goats) in their rumen. The genetics of the animal, the feed and the microbiome all affect the production of methane, and digital twins are being developed to optimize productivity and reduce methane emissions from animals.
Allowing pseudoscience into EU risk assessment processes is eroding public trust in science experts and in science as a whole- The bigger picture
329. Dietrich DR, Dekant W, Greim H, Heslop-Harrison P, Berry C, Boobis A, Hengstler JG, Sharpe R. 2016. Editorial: Allowing pseudoscience into EU risk assessment processes is eroding public trust in science experts and in science as a whole: The bigger picture. Chemico-Biological Interactions 257: 1-3. 21 July 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cbi.2016.07.023 ($$££€€). Author version pasted below. See also https://molcyt.org/2016/07/25/eu-safety-regulations-dont-mar-legislation-with-pseudoscience/ for associated correspondence in…
EU safety regulations – Dont mar legislation with pseudoscience
328. Dietrich DR, Dekant W, Greim H, Heslop-Harrison P, Berry C, Boobis A, Hengstler JG, Sharpe R. 2016. EU safety regulations: Don’t mar legislation with pseudoscience. Nature 535: 355 (21 July 2016) doi:10.1038/535355c We are concerned that some of the European Union’s processes for setting safety regulations for chemicals are being influenced by media and pseudoscience scaremongering….
Scientists ready to stem the onslaught of pseudoscience in the EU
BRUSSELS, May 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ A meeting was held between Dr Vytenis Andriukaitis, Commissioner of Health & Food Safety and well established and respected scientists (Prof. Sir Colin Berry, Prof. Alan Boobis, Prof. Wolfgang Dekant, Prof. Daniel Dietrich, Prof. Helmut Greim, Prof. Pat Heslop-Harrison and Prof. Richard Sharpe) in the fields of human risk assessment and…
We need to have more scientific mavericks @guardianletters
306. Braben DW, Allen JF, Amos W, Ball R, Birkhead T, Cameron P, Cogdell R, Colquhoun D, Dowler R, Engle I, Fernández-Armesto F, Fitzgerald D, Heslop-Harrison P, Herschbach D, Kimble HJ, Kroto H, Ladyman J, Lane N, Lawrence P, MacIntyre A, Mattick J, Pelloni B, Poliakoff M, Randall D, Ray D, Roberts RJ, Seddon K,…
Traits with ecological functions
298. Heslop-Harrison JS. 2012. Traits with ecological functions. Annals of Botany, 110 (1), 139-140. URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcs139 (free access) Individual plant species thrive in specific environments, some growing well across a wide area, others being restricted to survival in very narrow ecological niches. Within a niche, a species must compete for space, light and other resources with the same and other…
Molecular cytogenetics, genome evolution and agricultural genomics 