Here in New Caledonia, scientists have discovered a living organism with the largest genome in the world.
New research shows that the genome size of this species of fork fern is more than 50 times the size of the human genome.
Scientists have long wondered why some organisms have large genomes and others do not.
The samples used in the study were collected last year on an island in New Caledonia.
The fern grows mainly on the ground or on the trunks of fallen trees.
But a large genome is not necessarily considered useful.
For example, larger genomes require more resources for DNA replication, repair, and transcription, the process a cell uses to make the proteins the body needs to function.
And the largest genome among animals was registered in the marbled lungfish of Africa. The fern genome is almost 25% larger.
