SCIENCE: Swiss Research Helps to Understand Moss

LEEDS, UK - An international project is to determine the genome sequence of the fast-growing moss. Understanding how this weed works will help scientists get to the root of how other species live and grow and, potentially, improve their resilience.

The quick-growing moss has been used in plant research for over 30 years as it’s easy to cultivate in laboratories. Genetic information from the project will help investigators explain why some varieties of moss can survive extreme conditions.

The sequencing will be carried out by the US Department of Energy. The project builds on 30 years of research in Leeds, Japan, Germany, Switzerland and the USA.

Moss expert Professor David Cove said: “The human genome project is helping us understand genetic causes of disease - and to develop new therapies. It’s clear that much of our knowledge came by comparing the genomes of humans with those of much simpler animals, like flies and worms. Soon, we’ll be able to do the same thing by comparing the genomes of simple and complex plants.”

More information: www.leeds.ac.uk