Scientists at the University of California, based on the assumption that chocolate could be extinguished by 2050 due to climate change, are modifying the DNA of small cocoa plants to help them survive and thrive under adverse conditions.

In collaboration with the brand Mars and under the supervision of Myeong-Je Cho, director of the genomic plant at the Innovative Genomics Institute, they are working with CRISPR, technology for editing genes, invented by Jennifer Doudna (geneticist at the University of California and the Princess of Asturias Award for Research) and which can be used to treat diseases such as AIDS or to alter embryos.