© Pint of Science, 2026. All rights reserved.
Mary might not have the answers but Yoselin and Richa do! Come along to find out how science is being used to grow better crops and sweeter fruits. And of course, you can’t have crops without water! Hear from Temi on the latest discoveries in water and air, and how microplastics might be changing things.
Breaking Down Walls: What Plants Teach Us About Connection
Yoselin Benitez-Alfonso and Richa Yeshvekar
(Yoselin - Professor in Interdisciplinary Plant Sciences, Richa - Postdoctoral Research Associate)
Plant cells are surrounded by tough walls that give plants their strength and shape. But these walls don’t isolate cells. Instead, plants build tiny, microscopic bridges between them, allowing sugars, signals, and information to move from cell to cell. These connections help coordinate growth, development, and processes like fruit ripening. In this talk, we’ll explore how plants balance structure with connectivity and how understanding these hidden cellular networks could help us grow better crops and sweeter fruit.
Are we really breathing and drinking microplastics?
Dr Gbotemi Adediran
( Lecturer in Earth Surface Geochemistry Earth Surface Science Institute, School of Earth, Environment and Sustainability, University of Leeds)
Public anxiety about microplastics has surged, with headlines suggesting that tiny plastic particles are now present in the air we breathe and the water we drink. But how much of this is supported by solid evidence, and what do we actually know about human exposure? In this talk, Dr Adediran will examine the current state of microplastics and nanoplastics research, focusing on exposure through air and drinking water and on what the science can and cannot yet tell us.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.