Programmable plants: Synthetic biologists pave way for genetic circuits

Taking genetic engineering to the next level, researchers are creating modular, programmable genetic circuits that control specific plant functions.

In electronics, even the most advanced computer is just a complex arrangement of simple, modular parts that control specific functions; the same integrated circuit might be found in an iPhone, or in an aircraft. Colorado State University scientists are creating this same modularity in — wait for it — plants, by designing gene “circuits” that control specific plant characteristics — color, size, resistance to drought, you name it.

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