--- title: "Scientists Discover Teeny Tiny Plant With the Largest Genome Ever Sequenced" description: "Fun Sized Small, but mighty! As The New York Times reports, scientists just discovered the largest genome ever sequenced — in an itty-bitty Pacific fern. Per the NYT, the newly-sequenced fern — dubbed Tmesipteris oblanceolata — was tracked down by an international team of scientists in the wilds of Grande Terre, a volcanic archipelago in […]" date: "2024-06-02" modified: "2024-06-02" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/largest-genome-ever-sequenced" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "dna" - "genetics" - "genome sequencing" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Discover Teeny Tiny Plant With the Largest Genome Ever Sequenced ![An international team of botanists just discovered the largest genome ever sequenced — in an itty-bitty Pacific fern.]() *\Image: Pol Fernandez / Institut Botanic de Barcelona (CSIC) / AFP via Getty\* ## Fun Sized Small, but mighty! Scientists just discovered the largest genome ever sequenced — in an itty-bitty Pacific fern. Per [the *New York Times*](), the newly-sequenced fern was tracked down by an international team of scientists in the wilds of Grande Terre, a volcanic archipelago in New Caledonia. "It doesn't catch the eye," botanist Jaume Pellicer, who was on the team that sequenced the genome, told the *NYT*. "You would probably step on it and not even realize it." But when the researchers took the fern called *T. oblanceolata* back to the lab, they were shocked to find that the unassuming fern's genome was packed with about 160 *billion* base pairs of DNA. That's over 50 times the size of the human genome, and as the researchers detailed in a [new study](), the biggest genome currently known to science. This "record-breaking genome challenges current understanding," reads the study, published today in the journal *iScience*, "and opens new avenues to explore the evolutionary dynamics of genomic gigantism." ## Ludicrously Capacious As [*Nature* notes](), the new record-breaker holds about 11 billion more DNA pairs than the next-closest known plant genome, and 30 billion more than the largest known animal genome. (The former genome belongs to the Japanese flowering plant *Paris japonica*, and the latter to the delightfully shaped [marbled lungfish]().) Even more strikingly, [according to *CBS*](), the New Caledonian fern's genome is so long that if one of the fern's cells were rolled out, it would be taller than the Statue of Liberty. Why *T. oblanceolata's* genome is so gargantuan is still unknown. Scientists do believe there's a point where managing that much genetic information becomes unmanageable. In addition to the simple matter of having enough physical space to comfortably house the genetic code, cells need resources like essential minerals to divide, meaning that a genome like *T. oblanceolata's* is a resource-intensive project. That in mind, *the fern's* ludicrously capacious genome could speak to the stability of the environment in which it thrives, as opposed to the needs of the plant — which, fascinatingly, doesn't even have a real root system — itself. Hopefully, future research can answer these questions. In the meantime, let this humble lil' guy be a poignant reminder to not judge a book, or a teeny-tiny fern, by its cover. "The beauty of the plant," Peciller told *Nature*, "is inside." **More on genetics:**[ *Mutation Has Led to a New Type of Cat, Scientists Say*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()