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How many genes does an Organism Need?

Counting the vital genes in tiny organisms refined by two billion years of evolution

Research into how many genes are necessary for life – and why this information is important. Predicting outbreaks of Rift Valley fever in Africa using satellite weather forecasts. Bringing old and damaged seeds back to life at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Time travel, as interpreted by author Michael Crichton in his new novel Timeline and Lawrence Krauss, author of The Physics of Star Trek.

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24 minutes

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service Archive

This programme was restored as part of the World Service archive project

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