100-million-year-old molecular 'bypasses' may have helped grasses dominate landscapes and agriculture

Phys.org reports that a new paper in Science, published on August 20, describes how ancestors of grasses—including wheat, rice, and maize—developed more efficient chemical pathways for producing lignin and starch about one hundred million years ago. These molecular 'bypasses' may help explain why grasses have become so dominant in both natural landscapes and agriculture. The research comes from scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and their collaborators.

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