Who Won the U.S. Presidential Debate?

As any avid gardener will tell you, plants with sharp thorns and prickles can leave you looking like you've had a run-in with an angry cat. Wouldn't it be nice to rid plants of their prickles entirely but keep the tasty fruits and beautiful flowers?

I'm a geneticist who, along with my colleagues, recently discovered the gene that accounts for prickliness across a variety of plants, including roses, eggplants and even some species of grasses. Genetically tailored, smooth-stemmed plants may eventually arrive at a garden center near you.

Acceleration of nature

Plants and other organisms evolve naturally over time. When random changes to their DNA, called mutations, enhance survival, they get passed on to offspring. For thousands of years, plant breeders have taken advantage of these variations to create high-yielding crop varieties.

In 1983, the first genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, appeared in agriculture. Golden rice, engineered to combat vitamin A deficiency, and pest-resistant corn are just a couple of examples of how genetic modification has been used to enhance crop plants.

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