Imagine walking down the produce aisle at the grocery store, and
deciding whether you wanted to buy an eggplant-shaped apple or
cucumber-shaped nectarine. We’re not quite there yet, but the first
step towards designer fruits and veggies has been made. 
Scientists have identified
a gene in tomatoes, dubbed SUN, which is
responsible for determining their shape. To confirm their
discovery, they turned the gene on or off in a series of
plant-transformation experiments. Sure enough, they were able to
control whether the tomato would be round or extremely elongated.
Their next goal is to find a similar gene that determines the
shapes of other fruits and vegetables.
This is only a small step, but might one day make the farmer’s
market a lot more interesting. Scientists are quantifying
everything, from the genes that influence color to the genes that
may slow cancer. We may one day have super-customized foods in
pretty shapes and colors, and jacked up with enough vitamins to
replace your one-a-day.
(via sciencedaily)
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