We kick off the new season with Shaojun Pan from the Center for Plant Molecular Biology at the University of Tübingen. Her research focuses on Geminiviruses, DNA viruses that may be tiny but have a big impact on agriculture worldwide. These insect-transmitted viruses cause severe diseases in major crops, but are also powerful tools to study how viruses manipulate plant development, physiology, and defence at the molecular level.

In this episode, Pan talks about how Geminiviruses appear in the plants we grow for food and how plants defend themselves, what makes Geminiviruses unique and how they got their name. Along the way, we break down key concepts like the difference between DNA and RNA.

Pan also gives us a behind-the-scenes look at life in a research lab. She shares her journey from China to southern Germany and how she became part of Dr. Rosa Lozano-Durán’s research group, showing that plant science is not just about viruses, but also about people and the paths that bring them to this fascinating field.