Scientists discovered a stretch of DNA in both C3 plants, like wheat and soybeans, and C4 plants, like corn and sorghum, that is responsible for optimizing C4 plant photosynthesis and making them better at withstanding heat and drought. The findings are insightful in understanding how some plants evolved to be more efficient, and may now be used as a springboard for turning C4 photosynthesis on in C3 plants -- an important step for creating sustainable crop populations in the face of climate change and a growing global population.

More than 3 billion years ago, on an Earth entirely covered with water, photosynthesis first evolved in ancient bacteria. In the following millions of years, those bacteria evolved into plants, optimizing ...