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Nice to read about a new breakthrough in botany. The field doesn't get much attention at all. Maybe now it will benefit from the popularity of Martian, the movi

Nice to read about a new breakthrough in botany. The field doesn't get much attention at all. Maybe now it will benefit from the popularity of Martian, the movie.

whyenot 10y ago
As is true in many areas of organismal biology, botany is a field in decline. There are not a lot of jobs anymore, and in academia, not a lot of grant money. In spite of this, every year universities continue to pump out more and more graduates trained for careers that no longer exist. Some of the best botanists these days are citizen scientists who have day jobs at the Cheesecake Factory or driving limos in Las Vegas.
- Tomte 10y ago
  I've recently read a (German-language) article, that botanical gardens in Germany are an endangered species. That's because they are expensive to maintain, professorships have been faded out and biology students and post-grads are usually not so much interested in real plants and systematics anymore, but more in genetics and laboratory work. The small state of Saarland doesn't have a single publically accessible botanical garden anymore. Across Germany the outlook is dim.
  - adrianN 10y ago
    The Saarland University has a (pretty small) botanical garden that is open to the public.
    - dalke 10y ago
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botanischer_Garten_der_Universit%C3%A4t_des_Saarlandes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botanischer_Garten_der_Univers... says it closed April 1, 2016. More details (in German) at http://www.uni-saarland.de/nc/aktuelles/artikel/nr/14351.html http://www.uni-saarland.de/nc/aktuelles/artikel/nr/14351.htm... .
      - adrianN 10y ago
        Man, that really sucks. I spent many nice afternoons there.