18:00, Thu 4th December 2014 at Sanger Building
Michaelmas Week 8

ABSTRACT:
The broad bean (Vicia faba) is an important economic crop and dietary staple in many areas of the world. Here, we describe a novel method for increasing yield in this plant, using multiparent advanced generation inter-cross (MAGIC) techniques to increase the activity of cellulose synthases by up to four thousand-fold, resulting in an increase in mean adult height from 1.31±0.23m to 12600±2300m. In order to accommodate this mass, further modification of genes involved in root development, such as COW1, was required. An unexpected consequence of our work was the discovery of a previously undescribed ecosystem based in cumulonimbus clouds of the upper troposphere, featuring a community of metazoan species displaying severe gigantism. We also describe how figures in the Department of Biochemistry in Cambridge who would use these results for evil, such as Professor Paul Dupree, might be conquered.