In a remarkable breakthrough, scientists have constructed a groundbreaking tree of life using 1.8 billion letters of genetic code, shedding new light on the evolutionary history of flowering plants and their rise to ecological dominance on Earth. This achievement, led by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, involved 279 scientists from 138 organizations in 27 countries, representing a significant milestone for plant science.
The study, published in the journal Nature, analyzed genetic code from more than 9,500 species covering almost 8,000 known flowering plant genera, which is approximately 60% of the known flowering plant genera. The data will aid future attempts to identify new species, refine plant classification, uncover new medicinal compounds, and conserve plants in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss.
