* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Sunday, October 26, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    General Hospital’s Rena Sofer Exits as Lois — But the Door Isn’t Closed – Yahoo

    General Hospital’s Rena Sofer Exits as Lois — But the Door Isn’t Closed – Yahoo

    CNN Launches New Show – What to Know About Host Elex Michaelson – Central Oregon Daily

    Get to Know Elex Michaelson: The Dynamic New Host Taking CNN by Storm

    Johnny Depp Set To Finally Make His Big Hollywood Comeback After Amber Heard Controversy – Yahoo

    Johnny Depp Set for a Triumphant Hollywood Comeback Following Amber Heard Controversy

    ‘Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc’ Review: Hit Manga Gets an Ultra-Violent, Surprisingly Emotional Big-Screen Adaptation – Yahoo

    Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc Review: A Brutal and Unexpectedly Emotional Big-Screen Adaptation

    Reba McEntire Details Personal Relationship With Late Stepson Brandon Blackstock – KNDU

    Reba McEntire Shares Emotional Tribute to Her Late Stepson Brandon Blackstock

    Sacramento city leaders approve adding 2 entertainment zones in midtown – CBS News

    Sacramento City Leaders Approve Two Thrilling New Entertainment Zones in Midtown

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Comments to EU Regarding the Draft Revised Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation and Technology Transfer Guidelines – Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

    Have Your Say: Share Your Thoughts on the Draft Revised Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation and Guidelines

    Ghost Tapping is exploiting tap-to-pay technology in order to steal your money; what your need to know – ABC7 New York

    Ghost Tapping: How Thieves Are Using Tap-to-Pay Technology to Steal Your Money and What You Need to Know

    New technology for grading and packing dates – FreshPlaza

    Revolutionary Technology Transforms Date Grading and Packing Process

    Project underway to upgrade technology on 911 towers in Kanawha County – WCHS

    Kanawha County Launches Major Upgrade to 911 Tower Technology

    Next steps: Technology opens new options for greater mobility – Missouri Independent

    Next Steps: How Technology is Opening Exciting New Doors to Greater Mobility

    Rydberg Technologies Inc. Announces Launch of Rydberg Photonics in Berlin – The Quantum Insider

    Rydberg Technologies Launches Exciting New Photonics Division in Berlin

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    General Hospital’s Rena Sofer Exits as Lois — But the Door Isn’t Closed – Yahoo

    General Hospital’s Rena Sofer Exits as Lois — But the Door Isn’t Closed – Yahoo

    CNN Launches New Show – What to Know About Host Elex Michaelson – Central Oregon Daily

    Get to Know Elex Michaelson: The Dynamic New Host Taking CNN by Storm

    Johnny Depp Set To Finally Make His Big Hollywood Comeback After Amber Heard Controversy – Yahoo

    Johnny Depp Set for a Triumphant Hollywood Comeback Following Amber Heard Controversy

    ‘Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc’ Review: Hit Manga Gets an Ultra-Violent, Surprisingly Emotional Big-Screen Adaptation – Yahoo

    Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc Review: A Brutal and Unexpectedly Emotional Big-Screen Adaptation

    Reba McEntire Details Personal Relationship With Late Stepson Brandon Blackstock – KNDU

    Reba McEntire Shares Emotional Tribute to Her Late Stepson Brandon Blackstock

    Sacramento city leaders approve adding 2 entertainment zones in midtown – CBS News

    Sacramento City Leaders Approve Two Thrilling New Entertainment Zones in Midtown

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Comments to EU Regarding the Draft Revised Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation and Technology Transfer Guidelines – Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

    Have Your Say: Share Your Thoughts on the Draft Revised Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation and Guidelines

    Ghost Tapping is exploiting tap-to-pay technology in order to steal your money; what your need to know – ABC7 New York

    Ghost Tapping: How Thieves Are Using Tap-to-Pay Technology to Steal Your Money and What You Need to Know

    New technology for grading and packing dates – FreshPlaza

    Revolutionary Technology Transforms Date Grading and Packing Process

    Project underway to upgrade technology on 911 towers in Kanawha County – WCHS

    Kanawha County Launches Major Upgrade to 911 Tower Technology

    Next steps: Technology opens new options for greater mobility – Missouri Independent

    Next Steps: How Technology is Opening Exciting New Doors to Greater Mobility

    Rydberg Technologies Inc. Announces Launch of Rydberg Photonics in Berlin – The Quantum Insider

    Rydberg Technologies Launches Exciting New Photonics Division in Berlin

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

‘Innocuous-looking’ fern wins world record for largest genome

June 3, 2024
in Science
‘Innocuous-looking’ fern wins world record for largest genome
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The New Caledonian fer has the largest genome of any organism on Earth

The New Caledonian fer has the largest genome of any organism on Earth.

A small, seemingly unremarkable fern that only grows on a remote Pacific island was on Friday crowned the Guinness World Record holder for having the largest genome of any organism on Earth.

The New Caledonian fern, Tmesipteris oblanceolata, has more than 50 times more DNA packed into the nucleus of its cells than humans do.

If the DNA from one of the fern’s cells — which are just a fraction of a millimeter wide — were unraveled, it would stretch out to 106 meters (350 feet), scientists said in a new study.

Stood upright, the DNA would be taller than the tower that holds London’s famous Big Ben bell.

The fern’s genome weighed in at a whopping 160 gigabase pairs (Gbp), the measurement for DNA length.

That is seven percent larger than the previous record holder, the Japanese flowering plant Paris japonica.

The human genome is a relatively puny 3.1 Gbp.

If our DNA were unraveled, it would be around two meters long.

Study co-author Ilia Leitch, a researcher at the UK’s Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, told AFP that the team was “really surprised to find something even bigger than Paris japonica”.

“We thought we’d already reached the biological limit. We’re really pushing at the extremes of biology,” she said.

The fern, which grows five to 10 centimeters tall, is only found in New Caledonia, a French Pacific territory which has recently seen unrest.

Two members of the research team traveled to the main island, Grand Terre, in 2023 and worked with local scientists for the study, which was published in the journal iScience.

The seemingly unremarkable New Caledonia fern grows only on the remote Pacific island

The seemingly unremarkable New Caledonia fern grows only on the remote Pacific island.

Guinness World Records awarded the fern its coveted “largest genome title”.

The win by “this innocuous-looking” fern demonstrates that “record holders aren’t always the showiest on the outside”, Guinness World Records managing editor Adam Millward said.

What’s a genome again?

Humans are estimated to have more than 30 trillion cells in our bodies.

Within each of those cells is a nucleus which contains DNA, which is like a “book of instructions that tells an organism like ourselves how to live and survive”, Leitch explained.

All of an organism’s DNA is called its genome.

So far, scientists have estimated the genome size of around 20,000 organisms, just a fraction of life on Earth.

Among animals, the marbled lungfish has the largest, with 130 Gbp.

While plants have the biggest genomes, they can also have incredibly small ones. The carnivorous Genlisea aurea’s genome is just 0.06 Gbp.

But we humans need not feel inadequate when comparing ourselves to the mighty T. oblanceolata.

All the evidence suggests that having a huge genome is a disadvantage, Leitch said.

The more DNA you have, the larger your cells need to be to squeeze it all in.

Tmesipteris oblanceolata grows to 5-10 centimetres tall

Tmesipteris oblanceolata grows to 5-10 centimeters tall.

For plants, bigger cells mean things like the pores of leaves have to be larger, which can make them grow more slowly.

It is also trickier to make new copies of all that DNA, limiting their reproductive abilities.

This means the most massive genomes are seen in slow-growing, perennial plants which cannot easily adapt to adversity or contend with competition.

Genome size can therefore affect how plants respond to climate change, changing land use and other environmental challenges caused by humans, Leitch said.

What’s all that DNA for?

There could still be bigger genomes somewhere out there but Leitch thinks this fern must be near the limit.

“I cannot understand how an organism with all this DNA really functions,” she said.

Scientists do not know what most of the DNA does in such huge genomes, she admitted.

Some say most of it is “junk DNA”.

“But that’s probably our own ignorance. Maybe it does have a function, and we have yet to find it,” Leitch said.

Jonathan Wendel, a botanist at Iowa State University not involved in the research, agreed it was “astonishing” how much DNA the fern is packing.

But this only “represents the first step”, he told AFP.

“A great mystery is the meaning of all of this variation — how do genomes grow and shrink, and what are the evolutionary causes and consequences of these phenomena?”

More information:
Oriane Hidalgo and Jaume Pellicer et al, A 160 Gbp fork fern genome shatters size record for eukaryotes. iScience (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109889

© 2024 AFP

Citation:
‘Innocuous-looking’ fern wins world record for largest genome (2024, June 2)
retrieved 2 June 2024
from https://phys.org/news/2024-05-innocuous-fern-world-largest-genome.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Phys.org – https://phys.org/news/2024-05-innocuous-fern-world-largest-genome.html

Tags: Innocuous-looking'scienceWorld
Previous Post

Burnt out? How your employer can help you return to work for the better

Next Post

Crosby-Schøyen Codex: Ancient Coptic manuscript reveals sermon that spurred violence against Jews

Trump departs for Asia where he will meet with China’s Xi. Here’s what else to expect – PBS

Trump departs for Asia where he will meet with China’s Xi. Here’s what else to expect – PBS

October 26, 2025
New Research Shows Changing Winters Will Hit Northern Lakes the Hardest – Hometown Focus

New Research Reveals How Changing Winters Threaten Northern Lakes the Most

October 25, 2025
Scientists reversed brain aging and memory loss in mice – Science Daily

Breakthrough Discovery: Scientists Reverse Brain Aging and Restore Memory in Mice

October 25, 2025
It’s alive! Spooky science activities to take place Oct. 25-26 at Discovery Playhouse – KFVS12

It’s Alive! Exciting Spooky Science Activities Coming to Discovery Playhouse Oct. 25-26

October 25, 2025
Buying property in Israel: how to choose between lifestyle and investment goals – Ynetnews

Buying Property in Israel: Balancing Your Lifestyle Dreams with Smart Investment Choices

October 25, 2025
Comments to EU Regarding the Draft Revised Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation and Technology Transfer Guidelines – Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Have Your Say: Share Your Thoughts on the Draft Revised Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation and Guidelines

October 25, 2025
The NBA Made a Big Bet on Sports Gambling—and It Just Blew Up – The Wall Street Journal

The NBA Made a Big Bet on Sports Gambling—and It Just Blew Up – The Wall Street Journal

October 25, 2025
The $500m slugger who is taking Canada to the World Series – BBC

The $500 Million Slugger Powering Canada’s Journey to World Series Glory

October 25, 2025
Russian Central Bank Cuts Key Rate to 16.5% as Economy Slows – The Moscow Times

Russian Central Bank Cuts Key Rate to 16.5% in Response to Economic Slowdown

October 25, 2025
General Hospital’s Rena Sofer Exits as Lois — But the Door Isn’t Closed – Yahoo

General Hospital’s Rena Sofer Exits as Lois — But the Door Isn’t Closed – Yahoo

October 25, 2025

Categories

Archives

October 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Sep    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (886)
  • Economy (907)
  • Entertainment (21,778)
  • General (17,802)
  • Health (9,948)
  • Lifestyle (920)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (908)
  • Politics (918)
  • Science (16,118)
  • Sports (21,407)
  • Technology (15,887)
  • World (890)

Recent News

Trump departs for Asia where he will meet with China’s Xi. Here’s what else to expect – PBS

Trump departs for Asia where he will meet with China’s Xi. Here’s what else to expect – PBS

October 26, 2025
New Research Shows Changing Winters Will Hit Northern Lakes the Hardest – Hometown Focus

New Research Reveals How Changing Winters Threaten Northern Lakes the Most

October 25, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version