Scientists complete rice DNA map, move onto potatoes

Scientists have completed their investigation into the DNA sequence of one of the world's most basic foodstuffs — rice. It was a difficult task since rice has been found to have between 50-60,000 genes — compared to the 30-40,000 for a human being.

"Yep, it's a bloody long list," head researcher Dr Stanley Matthau told us. "Really long. Really, really long."

The team also discovered that the rice genome contains enormous amounts of duplication, with nearly three-quarters of all rice genes repeated in the final code. In fact, the team has decoded two different rices (should have mentioned that earlier) — the indica and the japonica — and have found that the difference between them is about half a per cent. However, this is about 10 times the size of the variation between humans so it is very significant in some way.

Using the Whole-Genome Shotgun technique — the same method used to decode human DNA — the team managed to crack the sequence really quite fast. "Yep. We did it fast, alright," Dr Matthau explained. "Really fast."

Now the secret of rice's make-up has been discovered, Matthau has great plans. "Yep. Rice is done. So, now I guess we'll do corn or something. Actually, I quite fancy doing potatoes. Yep. We're going to decode potatoes next."

Asked if knowing the sequence was useful, Matthau became animated. "Oh yes, enormously useful. Really, really useful. For one thing, we now know how's it made up. Down to the last gene. We know exactly how it's built up now. Which is enormously useful."

Asked what uses the sequence — which would require the destruction of a small forest the size of a medium barbeque party to be printed out on paper — would have for the future of mankind, Matthau was defiant. "We've got rice down pat. Now you can't tell me that's not a good thing. It has to be doesn't it? A great big bloody long list of stuff. Marvellous. Like I said, just wait til we crack potatoes, then we'll really have something. Oh yes. Two bloody long lists for one."