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How the World’s Smallest Farmers Turned Chemists Into Food
Wild grasses, like wheat, rice and barley, have long stalks that shatter to spread their seeds over the surrounding soil. But this doesn’t always work. A small number of genetic changes (mutations) can lead to shatter-proof stalks, whose seeds stay in place. These mutations are bad for the plant, but they’re spectacularly convenient for humans because they concentrate seeds in one easy-to-harvest place.
Wild grasses, like wheat, rice and barley, have long stalks that shatter to spread their seeds over the surrounding soil. But this doesn’t always work. A small number of genetic changes (mutations) can lead to shatter-proof stalks, whose seeds stay in place. These mutations are bad for the plant, but they’re spectacularly convenient for humans because they concentrate seeds in one easy-to-harvest place.
Source: National Geographic
Posted on: Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013, 8:49am
Views: 1163
Posted on: Tuesday, Jul 30, 2013, 8:49am
Views: 1163
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