The DNA mutations that drive evolution have always been thought to be fairly random, but scientists at the University of California, Davis and the Max Planck Institute recently discovered that mutations in genes essential for survival occur much less frequently, suggesting enhanced defense mechanisms..

Scientists grew hundreds of watercress plants in the lab, then sequenced their genomes and compared where the DNA mutations occurred, and a non-random pattern emerged..

The team tried to eliminate all non-random influences of natural selection, ensuring that plants that do not normally survive in the real world are not weeded out by any negative mutations..

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In hundreds of plant genomes, scientists have identified more than a million mutations that were concentrated in certain areas.. At the same time, there were areas where the level of mutations was minimal: it turned out that there are many important genes, including those involved in cell growth and gene expression.. These regions also demonstrated stronger DNA damage repair mechanisms..

“The plant has learned to protect its most important places from mutations. We could use these discoveries to protect human genes,” explains Detlef Weigel, senior author of the study..