An international team of researchers, including experts from the UK’s Kew Gardens and the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Kunming Institute of Botany, has built the largest-ever DNA tree of life for flowering plants. This groundbreaking project tackles what Charles Darwin once called an ‘abominable mystery’—how flowering plants evolved so rapidly millions of years ago.
Published in Nature, the study analyzed over 15,000 plant genomes, creating a ‘family tree’ that maps how species like orchids, sunflowers, and rice are connected. 🌻💡 The collaboration across 15+ institutions could revolutionize fields from agriculture to conservation, helping scientists predict how plants adapt to climate change.
Dr. Li Wei from Kunming Institute of Botany called it 'a new chapter in evolutionary biology.' For biology nerds and eco-warriors alike, this is your ultimate plant origin story! 📚🌿
