Moss beats human: Simple moss plants outperform us by gene number
Monday, August 5, 2013 - 11:30
in Biology & Nature
At the genetic level, mosses are more complex than humans: Scientists have now describe 32,275 protein-encoding genes from the moss Physcomitrella patens. This is about 10,000 genes more than the human genome contains. Mosses are tiny plants with a simple body plan: They have no roots, no flowers and do not produce seeds. Therefore, they were for a long time they were considered to be simple organisms also at the genetic level.