The science of how and why plant roots get their shape, it turns out, is a twisted tale.

By identifying the proteins which bind the plant hormone salicylic acid and potentially mediate its myriad physiological effects, Dr Daniel Klessig is unravelling the complex roles these hormones play in abiotic and biotic plant stresses.

According to an old country song, the only two things money can’t buy are true love and homegrown tomatoes. How true – those perfect, red tomatoes from the store just can’t match ones plucked from the garden. Now, researchers have identified the gene that controls...