The power of the code

A close-up photograph of a small ear of corn with dark purple, rounded kernels. The ear is partially husked, revealing dry, tan-colored corn silk bunched at the top and brown, papery husks peeling away from the sides. The background is slightly out of focus, showing more neutral-toned plant material.

Label: The power of the code
Artist: Jason Lynn
Description: Tiny pieces of DNA code in specific locations can produce massive effects on an organism. We see in this photograph the power of that code – causing the intense production of a pigment protein which makes these maize kernels appear dark purple. This is the result of a random event that inserted ~1000 bases of “junk DNA” nearby a gene, which changed the normal program leading to a new observable trait. Using molecular biology and genetics, we can harness this diversity to understand how and why these apparently random events happen and to develop new traits in agriculture.
Type: Cell Phone Camera
Artist Affiliation: Graduate Student
Department: Biological Science
Area of Research: Epigenetics and Inheritance
Date: 2019