For all of October, we at Nature Genetics have been admiring the lovely cabbages on our cover. The image, created by photographer Keyong Chang, was contributed by the authors of the study on page 1218 of the issue. Read more
Understanding the genomic changes that occurred during the domestication of animals and plants by humans is important on many levels. Such insights can provide information about human history and our interactions with other species, as is the case with genetic studies of dog and cat domestication. These studies can also help us to improve crop plants (such as tomato) and livestock (such as cattle) for human consumption or other use. Finally, genetic studies on domestication can help to identify disease-causing mutations that have been selected for as a by product of selection for beneficial traits (for example, in cats and dogs). Read more
Most wild tomato species bear little resemblance to the large, red fruits you’re used to seeing in the supermarket. This is because humans have been molding the tomato to their own taste for thousands of years, by selecting for larger, tastier and (of course) redder fruits. Read more
