British geneticist interested in splicing, RNA decay, and synthetic biology. This is my blog focusing on my adventures in computational biology. 

What have plant scientists ever done for us?

REG: We keep giving plant scientists all this money for research. And what have they ever given us in return?!

XERXES: The laws of genetic inheritance?

REG: What?

XERXES: The laws of genetic inheritance.

REG: Oh. Yeah, yeah. They did give us that. Uh, that's true. Yeah.

COMMANDO #3: And the concept of a cell.

LORETTA: Oh, yeah, the the concept of the cell, Reg. Remember before biological structures we thought of in cells?

REG: Yeah. All right. I'll grant you the laws of genetic inheritance and the concept of a cell are two things that the plant scientists have done.

MATTHIAS: And the Green Revolution.

REG: Well, yeah. Obviously the Green Revolution. I mean, the being able to grow enough food for everyone to live goes without saying, doesn't it? But apart from the laws of genetic inheritance, the concept of a cell, and the Green Revolution--

COMMANDO: RNA interference.

XERXES: Anti-malaria medication.

COMMANDOS: Huh? Heh? Huh...

COMMANDO #2: DNA methylation maintenance.

COMMANDOS: Ohh...

REG: Yeah, yeah. All right. Fair enough.

COMMANDO #1: And Optogenetics.

COMMANDOS: Oh, yes. Yeah...

FRANCIS: Yeah. Yeah, that's something we'd really miss, Reg, if Plant Scientists stopped. Huh.

COMMANDO: Gene imprinting.

LORETTA: And don’t forget about understanding receptors in the innate immune system, Reg.

FRANCIS: Yeah, they certainly know how to figure complex things out. Let's face it. They're the only ones who could figure this stuff out.

COMMANDOS: Hehh, heh. Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh.

REG: All right, but apart from the laws of genetic inheritance, the concept of a cell, the Green Revolution, Anti-malaria medication, RNA interference, DNA methylation maintenance, Optogenetics, Gene imprinting, and understanding receptors in the innate immune system, what have Plant Scientists ever done for us?

XERXES: Transposable elements.

REG: Oh. Transposable elements? Shut up!

Acknowledgements:

Monty Python

https://pages.wustl.edu/haswell/articles/13481

http://www.talkplant.com/plant-science-overlooked-research-area-that-gave-birth-to-cell-biology/

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(08)00702-2?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867408007022%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

*My script originally ended with: Advances in the Ubiquitin Cycle, rather than Transposable elements, but I thought that Transposable elements was a better ending.