Chile Genome Mapped!

[PepperDaddy]

Here's a cool article on how scientist have completed the first high quality reference for the chile genome.  Pretty interestong.  They indicate tomatos have the same gene that causes the burn but it is nonfunctioning.  One day tomatos could contain heat like a chile.  Here's the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/27/hot-pepper-genome_n_4661103.html?utm_hp_ref=science.  Chiles may also get hotter as a result of this research.  I think they're hot enough now!
 
Ken

 

[impending_bending]

very cool

thanks for sharing

 

[Izzy]

So would enabling all 7 genes make peppers hotter?

 

[SL3]

What did the article say?  After the header photo, the rest was a blur!!! 

 

[MisterBigglesworth]

Do not want.

 

[Zoli]

A superhot tomato would be awesome.. but they would take ages to ripen lol

 

[PepperDaddy]

So would enabling all 7 genes make peppers hotter?

 
It sounds like it might.  But just because it's enabled doesn't mean it super hot.  According to the article, a jalapeno and a carolina reaper both have one gene enabled.  So if enabling the other 7 genes in a reaper makes it 7 times hotter then I want nothing to do w/ it. 

 

[Izzy]

 
It sounds like it might.  But just because it's enabled doesn't mean it super hot.  According to the article, a jalapeno and a carolina reaper both have one gene enabled.  So if enabling the other 7 genes in a reaper makes it 7 times hotter then I want nothing to do w/ it.

lol, I agree. Its just really cool how such a small gene tweek could change the whole nature of a pepper. 

 

[wildseed57]

They may have mapped out the pepper genome, but they are still a long way off in understanding what various genes do,  it will take a lot of research to understand what all is going on and right now funding on such projects is at its lowest point. It might take another decade before much else is learned like removing one gene just to see what it does or doesn't do. It is pretty cool though, but I would not hold my breath till they come out with a genetically superior pepper or tomato.