Andrew D Hanson
Plant & microbe metabolism research, engineering, synthetic biology. Realism in science relating to agriculture & the food system. PhD/postdoc training & jobs. Ex-HGV2 driver in UK. AMDG+
- Reposted by Andrew D HansonExcited to share the Hanson Lab’s @adhansonlab.bsky.social new preprint! We used OrthoRep to evolve Arabidopsis HDH, a short-lived enzyme, selecting variants with up to 20× higher abundance. Mutations boosted lifespan, catalytic efficiency, or inhibitor resistance. 🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
- Reposted by Andrew D HansonCan biofuels replace fossil energy sources? A few calculations indicate otherwise 👉🏻 e360.yale.edu/features/cor.... Running numbers academic.oup.com/plphys/advan...) is the way to go. Things get worse with jet fuel (source @adhansonlab.bsky.social) 👇
- Journals are just part of a system that incentivizes overselling end-to-end. But, as gatekeepers on the final products, they have agency. An editorial policy of “It’s complicated” falls short. Journals can ask for field trials to be done right & interpreted prudently.
- New Editorial: "Rethinking field trials" rdcu.be/enhFe
- Reposted by Andrew D HansonFood Rx: Integrating horticulture research to improve nutrition and health. A compelling perspective - the chronic health problems facing Americans require better access to affordable, nutritious fruits & vegetables! Yet the US greatly underproduces these healthy foods. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
- Reposted by Andrew D HansonTraditional wisdom tells us that healthy food, in particular fruits & veggies, is the best medicine. Here @adhansonlab.bsky.social elaborates an straightforward 1-stop resource for decision-makers & concerned citizens 👉🏻 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
- Excellent reflection on #SynBio in a company context, and on the future of engineering biology.
- If you want a short summary of everything I learned by studying the world’s premiere foundry for biology, check out Foundry Theory episode 50 foundrytheory.substack.com/p/three-less...
- OrthoRep as a lab-scale sandbox to study molecular evolution ⬇️ Great to see directed evolution being connected with the vast field of evolutionary theory! Up to now, there’s been surprisingly little crossover between #SynBio and #Evolution.
- We’re excited to share new work on the continuous in vivo evolution of gene libraries towards arbitrary functions. Led by superstar Olek Pisera, our experiments show that gene evolution is highly versatile... www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
- #SyntheticBiology postdoctoral position in our group in University of Florida's Horticultural Sciences department. Work is directed evolution to improve enzymes that underlie important crop traits ⬇️
- Reposted by Andrew D HansonVertical farming limitations and potential demonstrated by back-of-the-envelope calculations (Samuel J Lovat, Εlad Noor, Ron Milo) doi.org/10.1093/plph... #PlantScience
- I 💯 endorse the CSPB/SCBV Annual Meetings as first-class science in a congenial & collegial environment!
- #plantsci if you’re concerned about this (as I am) please consider @cspbscbv.bsky.social as an alternative to the annual ASPB meetings (ICAR in 🇧🇪 is already at full capacity). imo a much nicer (read: 🇨🇦 ) vibe too :)
- This is analogous to 1930s German work to bring aurochs back from extinction by selectively breeding modern cattle that had some traits of the aurochs. The result was cattle that look like, but genetically are not, aurochs. theconversation.com/the-quest-to... time.com/7274542/colo...
- On a per-cup basis, coffee requires almost 7.5 x the land area that tea does. doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
- Sam Lovat, Elad Noor, Ron Milo run the numbers on #VerticalFarming to get ⚡️ cost ≈$10/kg dry plant matter. Which explains why it's viable only for high-value 🥬 ('fru-fru baby lettuce') Vertical farming limitations & potential demonstrated by back-of-the-envelope calculations doi.org/10.1093/plph...
- Congratulations to 2 outstanding @ufhorticulture @UF_IFAS colleagues on their 2024 election to AAAS! 🌽🌽🌽🌽🌽🌽🌽🌽🌽🌽🌽🌽🌽🌽 www.aaas.org/programs/fel...
