What a trove of potato genomes reveals about the humble spud

In this episode:


00:46 A potato pangenomeResearchers have created a ‘pangenome’ containing the genomes of multiple potato types, something they believe can help make it easier to breed and sequence new varieties. The potato's complicated genetics has made it difficult to sequence the plant's genome, but improvements in technology have allowed the team to combine sequences, allowing then to look for subtle differences in between varieties.



Research Article: Sun et al.


09:57 Research HighlightsHow ancient DNA analysis revealed that unusually bound medieval books are covered in sealskin, and top quarks and their antimatter counterparts are detected after nuclear smash-ups at the Large Hadron Collider.

Research Highlight: Mystery of medieval manuscripts revealed by ancient DNA
Research Highlight: Top quarks spotted at mega-detector could reveal clues to early Universe


12:30 The top cited twenty-first century research papersAnalysis from Nature reveals the 25 highest-cited papers published this century and explores why they are breaking records. We hear about the field that got the highest number of papers on the list, and whether any feature in the all-time top citation list.

News Feature: Exclusive: the most-cited papers of the twenty-first century
News Feature: These are the most-cited research papers of all time
News Feature: Science’s golden oldies: the decades-old research papers still heavily cited today


21:47 Briefing ChatRe-analysis of a cosmic collision shows evidence of a planet spiralling into its host star, and how shrugging off lighting strikes gives tonka bean trees an evolutionary edge.

Science: Astronomers spot a planetary ‘suicide’
Live Science: Tropical tree in Panama has evolved to kill its 'enemies' with lightning


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