Sep. 17, 2011 A "hidden" code linked to the DNA of plants allows
them to develop and pass down new biological traits far more
rapidly than previously thought, according to the findings of a
groundbreaking study by researchers at the Salk Institute for
Biological Studies. The study, published September 16 in the
journal Science, provides the first evidence that an organism's
"epigenetic" code -- an extra layer of biochemical instructions
in DNA -- can evolve more quickly than the genetic code and can
strongly influence biological traits. While the study was
limited to a single plant species called Arabidopsis thaliana,
the equivalent of the laboratory rat of the plant world, the
findings hint that the traits of other organisms, including
humans, might also be dramatically influenced by biological
mechanisms that scientists are just beginning to understand.
"Our study shows that it's not all in the genes," said Joseph
Ecker, a professor in Salk's Plant Molecular and Cellular
Biology Laboratory, who led the rese