Geneticists have long tried to understand the biochemical marvel of the succulent, and there is still much they don’t know. But these botanical curiosities have two important things in common. They’re really good at storing water. And they work at night. 

Now, [molecular biologist John] Cushman and his team want to build off the lines of genetic code that give desert plants their superpowers. 

He wants to make soybeans behave a little more like succulents.

Some researchers use DNA analysis to assist with selective breeding, honing in on desirable plant traits and creating better crop varieties in just a fraction of the time of traditional breeding methods. Others use newer technologies like CRISPR, commonly described as a pair of “genetic scissors,” to snip out undesirable traits and replace them with better ones without using DNA from another plant and without the controversy associated with GMOs.

No matter the methods, many of these plant engineers have a common goal: to maintain or even increase yields with fewer resources. And they want to do it quickly. Studies suggest global crop production will need to more than double by 2050 to meet the needs of a growing population.

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