Primula Heterostyly & The Gilmartin Lab

On 1st April I will move to a new role at University of Hull as Pro Vice Chancellor International. It's been a fantastic 7 years at University of East Anglia (UEA), John Innes Centre and Earlham Institute but it's time for an exciting new career adventure 😀 - Phil

Merry Christmas from the Gilmartin Lab 🎄🎄🎄

Just finished my BBC Radio Norfolk interview with Matthew Gudgin about our latest research paper. It will be aired this evening between 5pm and 6pm! - Phil
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-01 8-36304-4.epdf…

Primula has now been 'transformed' through a collaboration between colleagues of the Phil Gilmartin & Wendy Harwood groups. This means plants (contained in the lab) can be genetically modified so we can analyse the mutants and begin to decipher how these genes function, which is a huge step toward figuring out how heterostyly fundamentally works! 😁

As infrequent as an alignment of planets: Steve Kay, AJ Millar, Chris Bowler and myself all in one place! Here today on Ilklely Moor. It's been 8 years since the last alignment and 30 years since our work at The Rockefeller University. - Phil

Just returned from annual leave. Had a great time painting window frames and gardening :) - Phil

Latest arrival for my old book collection: Strasburger’s Text-Book of Botany, 3rd edition (1908). The 1st edition was published in 1888. On page 311 is a description of pin & thrum Primula sinensis flowers. Original owner details included! Smells wonderful 📕👃😊 - Phil

Couldn’t be in Yokohama without visiting the Cup Noodles Museum which charts the evolution (from a simple packet noodle as the monophyletic origin in 1958) to the great phenotypic diversity seen today! - Phil

Looking forward to presenting our work on Primula heterostyly this afternoon at SMBE2018. - Phil
Upper: The 2 forms of Primula flower described by Darwin in 1862. Lower: Jung-Koch-Quentell education wall chart illustrating heterostyly from 1961.

Dinner at Handa airport while waiting for bus to Yokohama. I count 38 species in this meal - all but 3 are plants. Great way to start a conference on evolutionary biology! #SMBE2018 - Phil

Fabulous display of Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) at the White Pagoda, Beihai Park in Beijing, China. If you can’t get home to your own garden at the weekend, next best thing is to go flower hunting. - Phil

After a mad dash back through heavy traffic from El Alamein to Cairo, I arrived in time for the Queen’s Birthday celebrations at the British Embassy 🎂 🥂 👑 Many (belated) Happy Returns your Majesty! (If you are wondering, Bombay Saphire, Schweppes, slice of lime, & plenty of ice) - Phil

The rest of the lab team at their conference in Japan last week! Jinhong - Yasuko - Jon - Phil

Wonderful display of Primula sieboldii from Penny's Primulas at this year's Chelsea Flower Show. Lovely to meet Penny Jones and discuss the many different varieties! - Phil

Phil settlling nicely into Prince Charles' 70th Birthday Celebrations at Buckingham Palace Gardens

Meanwhile back at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol... - Phil

23:20 flight home from the conference last night. Just enough time to meet old friends on the way to KL airport. See the chef cook dinner at our table! - Phil

Wonderful display of Heliconia flowers at the Singapore Botanic Gardens - Phil