STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. A protein that's not always good for people is apparently good for potatoes. The protein is called FTO, and if people have too much, it can lead to obesity, which is exactly the quality that made the human protein of interest to farmers. Plants modified with this protein yielded potatoes 50% larger. The technique could eventually help farmers grow more food with the same resources and without a larger carbon footprint. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.