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

About this episode

The episode features Professor Andrew Miller discussing his contributions to plant biology and circadian rhythms.

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…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Satchin Panda

Guest: Andrew Miller

Topics covered

• plant biology
• circadian rhythms
• agriculture
• genetic systems
• metabolic timing
• bioluminescence

Keywords

• circadian clock
• plant-microbe symbiosis
• rhythmic bioluminescence
• starch degradation
• digital twins

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Edinburgh, Systems Biology Center for Engineering Biology

Places: Lubeck, Germany, Scotland

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