An enzyme called RuBisCo might help scientists from Japan's Research Institute for Innovative Technology for the Earth and the Shizouka Perfectural University in realising their dream of making plants grow in dry climates (New Scientist, Vo1149, No 2013).

In hot climates, plants lose water molecules every time they 'fIX' carbon dioxide (CO2).Speeding up the natural rate of this fIXation process could help in growth. The researchers isolated the gene from a bacteria which produces its own version of the CO2-fixing enzyme. Inserted into the Escherichia coli bacteria, the enzyme led to a twofold increase in the rate of CO2 capture.