Posted on 06/26/2008 10:22:25 AM PDT by null and void
To save chocolate lovers from the agony of a potential candy bar shortage, McLean candy giant Mars is investing $10 million in a five-year project to develop cacao trees that fight drought, disease and poor harvests.
Mars will announce today that it is partnering with IBM and the Department of Agriculture to sequence and analyze the entire cocoa genome. The team will be identifying the characteristics that make a better cacao tree. Then it plans to breed the genetically superior specimens to battle the foes that have shrunk the number of beans to make chocolate over the years.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Melts your mouth, not your hand...
Chocolate is chocolate - Bring It On!!!
Better living through science! A chocolate shortage? Heaven forbid!
Let’s see...I’ve lived in Eureka, Newark, Fremont, Northridge, Inglewood, San Diego and National City. Yep. I think I’ve seen all it has to offer.
Or not!
It’s still the Cereal State: Land of the fruits, nuts and flakes. :o])
This is a big deal for developing, agricultural economies... assuming the governments of said economies don’t bow down to European hysteria about genetically modified crops.
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