The Rice Genome and Genetically-Modified Rice

A six-year gene sequencing project, which finished in December 2004, catalogued 95 percent of the rice genome [source: Nature]. A team of Japanese scientists led this 10-country effort, costing more than $100 million [source: Washington Post]. Conclusions of the study found that rice's dense genetic map has the smallest number of genes in comparison with other important plants in the cereal family. Project results will help further understanding of the development of other cereals and provide a basis for discovering ways to promote greater rice crop yields.

The need for the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project was based on estimates that rice production must be increased by 30 percent in the next 20 years to feed the world's growing population [source: Nature]. Researchers are now hoping to develop hardier genetic variations of rice which can be grown in a greater variety of climates, including ones that are colder and drier [source: Washington Post].

More Than Just a Side Dish
Rice provides a lot more than nourishment. Rice and its by-products can also be found in a variety of household products, such as rope, paper, cosmetics and toothpaste [source: U.N. Food and Agriculture Association].

Another genetic rice project was the development of golden rice, a genetically modified form of rice with increased nutrients such as beta-carotene. The golden rice project goal is to improve the nutritional intake of the approximately 3 billion people who largely subsist -- getting 80 percent or more of their daily caloric intake -- on rice [source: The Golden Rice Project].

source by : www.home.howstuffworks.com