Prof Richard Buggs

Defra have published an external review of Kew Science 2021-2025. I am grateful that the use of genomics to identify the acquisition of resistance to ash dieback disease in natural woodland populations was identified as a highlight. sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetai...

The ‘Smith Episode’ - Kew Bulletin A brief history of ‘Miscellaneous Notes’ appearing in the Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information, Kew, is provided, beginning with Thiselton Dyer’s introduction to the Bulletin in 1887. The first of th...

In the 1920s a renegade botanist working in the unlit undercroft of Kew's herbarium purloined invaluable plant specimens and smuggled them to Pretoria. The newly unearthed story of "The Smith Episode" is documented for the first time in Kew Bulletin here: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Join us to do a PhD "Understanding the evolutionary repercussions of adaptation to new threats," following up on our recent Science paper on natural selection by ash dieback. trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/und...

It’s often said that humans and chimps share 99% of their DNA. That means a lot less than almost everybody believes it means Early research suggested that human and chimp genomes are more than 98% identical. "What it means is that for each part of the human genome where the

It’s often said that humans and chimps share 99% of their DNA. That means a lot less than almost everybody believes it means geneticliteracyproject.org/2025/09/15/i... 🧪

The molecular mechanism of ATP synthase constrains the evolutionary landscape of chemiosmosis ATP synthase, the enzyme responsible for regenerating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the cell, comprises a proton-translocating motor in the cell mem…

New review in Biophysical Journal shows that the ubiquitous molecular machine ATP synthase is highly efficient, and needs to be so to support life. This level of efficiency makes all currently suggested evolutionary pathways for ATP synthase evolution implausible. sciencedirect.com/science/arti... 🧪

Check out our preprint presenting the construction and application of a pangenome for European ash @laura-j-kelly.bsky.social @rbuggs.bsky.social

Preliminary genetic barcodes for ash (Fraxinus) species and generation of new wide hybrids Societal Impact Statement The world-wide diversity of ash trees includes genetic information encoding resistance to the ash dieback fungus and the emerald ash borer beetle, which are currently devas...

Preliminary genetic barcodes for ash (Fraxinus) species and generation of new wide hybrids - Plumb et al with @rbuggs.bsky.social in @plantspeopleplanet.bsky.social nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Can we save the Ash tree? Ash Dieback Disease has become a significant blight on the tree and is affecting supply for hurleys. However, research from Kew Gardens may give hope. Éanna speaks to Professor Richard Buggs, Senior R...

A privilege to be interviewed by Éanna Ní Lamhna (what a lovely accent!) on Raidió Teilifís Éireann @rteradio1.bsky.social (Ireland's National Public Service) who did a great job in getting to the heart of our recent @science.org paper www.rte.ie/radio/podcas...

Our latest preprint: Genetic basis of traits and local adaptation in UK silver birch 🧪
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Fresnos silvestres desarrollan resistencia genética frente al hongo letal en Reino Unido Una investigación publicada en la revista Science revela que las nuevas generaciones de fresnos silvestres están mostrando una rápida resistencia genética al hongo invasor Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, res...

Fresnos silvestres desarrollan resistencia genética frente al hongo letal en Reino Unido www.colglobalnews.com/noticias/fre... 🧪

Please could I be added? See orcid.org/0000-0003-44...

Un hongo invade España y mata a casi todos los fresnos que se encuentra El patógeno, procedente de Asia oriental, ya ha arrasado los árboles de multitud de países europeos y se extiende por el Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa

Delighted to see this article on my collaborator Dr Miguel Nemesio-Gorriz in El Pais @elpais_espana elpais.com/ciencia/2025...

Thanks Kew!
The paper itself can be found here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

If you don't have a Science subscription, a free full text link can be found on this page: richardbuggs.com/publications/

If you don't have a Science subscription, a free full text link can be found on this page: richardbuggs.com/publications/

BIG NEWS! We’ve found that ash trees are fighting back against ash dieback disease! 🌳💪

Scientists at Kew & QMUL ‪@qmul.bsky.social have discovered that young ash trees are evolving resistance to this devastating fungus - & fast 🌍

Read the story👉 www.kew.org/read-and-wat...

#PlantScience #SciNews

Rapid polygenic adaptation in a wild population of ash trees under a novel fungal epidemic Rapid evolution through small shifts in allele frequencies at thousands of loci is a long-standing neo-Darwinian prediction but is hard to characterize in the wild. European ash tree (Fraxinus excelsi...

Just out in Science: we demonstrate a micro-evolutionary shift in a single generation, involving thousands of genomic loci, giving younger ash trees more resistance to ash dieback, on average, than their parents
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp2990