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Ginkgo -living fossil- genome decoded
The tree is famed for being a “living fossil” - a term used to describe those organisms that have experienced very little change over millions of years.
In the case of the species Ginkgo biloba, there are specimens preserved in the rock record from 270 million years ago, in the Permian Period.
The Chinese-led research team says the new information should help to explain the tree’s evolutionary success.
Its resilience is legendary: it was one of the few living things to survive the atomic bomb blast in the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945.
--more--
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38057741
In the case of the species Ginkgo biloba, there are specimens preserved in the rock record from 270 million years ago, in the Permian Period.
The Chinese-led research team says the new information should help to explain the tree’s evolutionary success.
Its resilience is legendary: it was one of the few living things to survive the atomic bomb blast in the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945.
--more--
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38057741
The tree's genome is three times larger than humans. A large portion of it seems to be hard coded defenses against damaging viruses, bacteria, and insects.
Through the millennia this species has evolved defenses against a lot of bad stuff, perhaps including a few things humans have no experience with.
Every species has stories to tell.