Sunflowers Show How Gene Duplication Generates Diversity

The authors of a new paper in Current Biology say they have found the first concrete evidence that shows how gene duplications can lead to functional diversity in organisms. In the study, researchers examined how duplications of a gene called FLOWERING LOCUS T, or FT, could have evolved and interacted to prolong a sunflower's time to grow. A longer flower growth period means a bigger flower -- presumably an attribute of great value to the plant's first breeders. read more

Read the whole article on

More from