Fork Fern Has World's Largest Genome
Posted on June 24, 2024
A living plant called the New Caledonian fork fern (Tmesipteris oblanceolate) has the largest known genome of any species. It has a genome 50 times the size of a human genome.
It is not known why the fern has such as a large complex genome but researchers say ferns are known for having large genomes. Science.org says the plant's genome contains 160 billion base pairs. A large genome is not necessarily beneficial to a species' survival.
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