Scientists are gene editing fruits and vegetables to make them taste better

Plant biologists in China are using Crispr, the tool that has been deployed to treat sickle-cell disease, to engineer sweeter tomatoes. Crispr allows researchers to snip out a piece of a genome and, if desired, replace it with another piece of DNA. Scientists have used the technology previously to design tomato plants that consume less water, use less growing space or have higher levels of nutrients. Using Crispr to boost the sugar content of tomatoes, alongside experiments to create seedless blackberries and less-bitter mustard greens, is part of a trend toward using the tool to make foods more appealing to consumers rather than farmers or nutritionists.