Scientists explore genetic tools to protect crops from rising global temperatures

Scientists explore genetic tools to protect crops from rising global temperatures

Crops around the world are failing as heat waves grow more frequent, and scientists are racing to reengineer plants so they can survive future extremes.Rebecca Dzombak reports for The New York Times.In short:Researchers are studying genetic adaptations from heat-resilient wild plants to help staple crops like wheat and rice withstand soaring temperatures that stall photosynthesis.Three new papers in Science detail strategies like modifying leaf …

Heat tolerant crops achievable but require long timelines and major investment

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 17, 2025 Laboratory and field studies confirm that modifying photosynthesis and plant structure can significantly increase crop resilience to high temperatures, according to a new review published in Science. Researchers at the University of Illinois say these changes could mitigate yield losses from global warming-but scaling up such innovations remains a challenge. Scientists can now fine-tune ph