The progress of bio-engineering is usually hampered by pitfalls. More often than not, these pitfalls are ethical in nature. For example, several readers (including myself) from last year disapproved of the cats whose DNA were modified just so they can glow in the dark. I find it hard to be adverse to this new project from Mars though.

Mars (the chocolate company, not the planet), has started a new project in collaboration with the US Department of Agriculture and IBM to decode the genetic structure of chocolate. Ok, not chocolate exactly, but the cacao tree, the plant where chocolate comes from. The project is estimated to take five years to complete.

The project hopes to improve the cocoa production, making crops that are resistant to pests, diseases, and water shortages. This would, in effect, yield higher quality coca. Seeing as the cacao plant is particularly vulnerable to disease, the crop would benefit greatly from the research and its subsequent application.

Of course, not all people would be approving of the research. Victor B., for example, pointed out that scientists may end up with chocolate that can walk. There is always the danger of messing up the genetic structure of something we actually ingest. I just hope that the scientists don't mess it up and make glow in the dark chocolate.