Adding Human Gene Boosts Crop Yields by 50 Percent

 Adding Human Gene Boosts Crop Yields by 50 Percent

https://reason.com/2021/07/29/adding-human-gene-boosts-crop-yields-by-50-percent/?utm_medium=email

Excerpt: Adding the human gene that produces the FTO enzyme to rice and potatoes boosts yields of those crops by 50 percent in field tests, report a team of researchers associated with the University of Chicago, Peking University, and Guizhou University. Their report in the journal Nature Biotechnology says the modified plants grew significantly larger, produced longer root systems, and were better able to tolerate drought stress. In humans, the FTO enzyme erases certain markers that regulate the production of proteins associated with cellular growth. In plants, the FTO enzyme similarly erases markers that inhibit their growth. "The rice plants grew three times more rice under laboratory conditions," reports the accompanying press release. "When [the researchers] tried it out in real field tests, the plants grew 50% more mass and yielded 50% more rice. They grew longer roots, photosynthesized more efficiently, and could better withstand stress from drought." [While I’m not sure I’m comfortable with “adding human genes to plants,” improved photosynthesis and better resistance to drought certainly sounds like something useful–especially if one is worried about a higher atmospheric CO2 level. Climate alarmists ought to be all over this development like white on rice, pardon the expression. I added emphasis. Ron P.]