News & Comment

Omics analyses are now a ubiquitous first step in the search for condition-specific events such as differentially expressed genes, often relying on Venn diagrams to highlight unique responses. In stress experiments, for instance, the presence of differentially expressed genes exclusive to combined stresses is frequently interpreted as evidence of non-additive effects: the effect of combined stresses is different from the sum of the effect of single stresses. Using a multi-stress dataset with 22 replicates, we here argue that this reasoning is likely to be false because of the inherently low statistical power of most studies, which use only a few (often three) biological replicates. While it is well known that low statistical power reduces sensitivity, its detrimental impact on specificity has been largely overlooked. We emphasize the need for careful interpretation of any claim of specificity, regardless of the number of replicates, and plead for improved experimental design and statistical modelling to avoid misleading biological interpretations.

The return of spring is an excellent occasion to celebrate the secondary metabolites that are the basis for the wonderfully diverse aromas and tastes of plants, which are used for our culinary pleasure.

Photorespiration was long considered a futile cycle leading to a net carbon loss. However, evidence is accumulating that substantial metabolic benefits exist.

Photosynthesis is both an elegantly simple and dazzlingly complex process. The year 2026 marks anniversaries of the discoveries of both of these layers.

The great physicist Niels Bohr is reported to have said that “prediction is very difficult, especially about the future”, but that should not stop us trying to guess what 2026 might bring.

December is a time when ‘… of the Year’ pieces appear in all kinds of publications. For this year only, Nature Plants is joining the trend.

The superoxide radical anion is a fundamental reactive oxygen species, with important functions in plant growth, development and stress responses. A search for ‘superoxide anion’ and ‘plant’ in PubMed retrieved 3,327 publications since the year 2000, with 87 of these publications in 2025 through June. Unfortunately, despite the biological ubiquity of the superoxide anion, inconsistent and chemically inaccurate notation widely persists in the plant biological literature. This Comment clarifies the correct notation for the superoxide anion (O ₂ ^•− ), highlights widespread errors and urges standardization to prevent scientific ambiguity.