100-million-year-old molecular 'bypasses' may have helped grasses dominate landscapes and agriculture

100 million years ago, long before human intervention, ancestors of grasses, including wheat, rice and maize, developed "bypasses" in chemical pathways used to create two critical compounds: lignin and starch. These more efficient pathways could explain why grass plants are so successful in nature and agriculture, according to a new paper published in Science on Aug. 20 by researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and their collaborators.