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Largest Genome Ever

Posted by timothy on from the trojan-marketing-campaign dept.

sciencehabit writes "A rare Japanese flower named Paris japonica sports an astonishing 149 billion base pairs, making it 50 times the size of a human genome — and the largest genome ever found. The genome would be taller than Big Ben if stretched out end to end. The researchers warn however that big genomes tend to be a liability: plants with lots of DNA have more trouble tolerating pollution and extreme climatic extinctions—and they grow more slowly than plants with less DNA, because it takes so long to replicate their genome."

3 of 189 comments (clear)

  1. Actually ... by niclas.l · · Score: 4, Informative

    Big Ben is, technically, the nick-name of the Great Bell inside the clock tower. That bell is only slightly taller than 2 meters.

    1. Re:Actually ... by nedlohs · · Score: 4, Informative

      It's a nickname, there is no "technically".

      It is commonly used to refer to the bell, or to the clock, or to the clock tower.

  2. Re:Can atheists refute one simple fact? by Delarth799 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Everyone on the internet who has read or come near your post is now dumber because of it. I award you no points, and may Al Gore have mercy on your soul