Andrew Miller - clocks, crops and climate. Performance Around the Clock episode 38.

Episode 38 of the Performance Around the Clock features another guest from the XVIII Congress of the European Biological Rhythms Society in Lubeck, Germany. We are joined by Professor Andrew Miller, a Professor at the University of Edinburgh and the Chair of the Systems Biology Center for Engineering Biology. Professor Miller is a seminal figure in plant biology whose early work served as the inspiration for host Dr. Satchin Panda to enter the field of plant circadian rhythms.In this episode, we explore Professor Miller’s scientific journey, beginning with his fascination with interacting genetic systems and his move to New York to study plant-microbe symbiosis. The conversation highlights his groundbreaking development of rhythmic bioluminescence using the luciferase protein to visualize the plant clock in real-time. This innovation allowed researchers to identify the genes building the plant clock without killing the specimens, a technique that revolutionized the field.We dive into the critical role the circadian clock plays in agriculture, from measuring day length to trigger flowering to helping crops like barley adapt to the unique growing seasons of Scotland. Professor Miller also explains the fascinating connection between the clock and metabolic timing, detailing how plants use their internal timer to manage starch degradation overnight to avoid starvation before dawn.The discussion moves toward the future of the field, including the creation of "digital twins" through mathematical modeling to predict how specific genomes will perform in various climates. We also touch upon Professor Miller's work with the UK government's ACRE committee, advising on the policy and safety of genetically edited crops to meet the challenges of climate change and food security. Please join us for this wide-ranging and inspiring conversation. If you enjoy this episode, please like, comment, or subscribe. Thanks for watching.Guest:Dr. Andrew MillerUniversity of EdinburghProfessor of Systems BiologyChair of the Systems Biology Center for Engineering BiologyPaper highlight:Circadian clock mutants in Arabidopsis identified by luciferase imaginghttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7855595/Host:Dr. Satchin PandaX (Twitter): @SatchinPandahttps://x.com/SatchinPandaInstagram: @satchin.pandahttps://www.instagram.com/satchin.panda/Links:Donations: https://panda.salk.edu/giving/Research: https://www.salk.edu/scientist/satchidananda-panda/More science: ⁠https://mycircadianclock.org/⁠