• Question: Do you think it would be possible to alter the DNA of certain plants to make them act like different plants

    Asked by EmmanuelA on 25 Nov 2020.
    • Photo: Malgorzata Dabrowska

      Malgorzata Dabrowska answered on 25 Nov 2020:

      Hello EmmanuelA,

      I’m sure it’ll be possible in the future. Actually, we are already kind of using it (many vegetables and fruits are GMO by selection). We are also crossing plants between each other to obtain new species/better fruits/longer lifetime/higher resistance against diseases. So partially we are already there.

    • Photo: Liudmila Khokhlova

      Liudmila Khokhlova answered on 25 Nov 2020: last edited 25 Nov 2020 4:16 pm

      Sure, as Malgorzata said. Moreover, scientists can even make plant act like fungi. The team of Russian scientists made genetically engineered plants with fungal bioluminescence gene. And the plants are beautiful!

    • Photo: Marcello Valente

      Marcello Valente answered on 26 Nov 2020:

      Dear EmmanuelA,
      already in the 90′ we have been able to easly improve the genetic of many standard plants, despite the suspect that many politicized envirmentalist had at that time.
      The example shown by my collegues is even sold in the USA where this kind of technology is legal, even if fluorescence is a classical modification also for pet animals like fish and dogs.

      https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna30463427

      Some collegue of mine are also working on a genetic engeneering to make the plants collaboratic to underground mushrooms so that they can both grow stronger and/or eliminate dangerous chemicals in the soil!

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