For thousands of years, people have pondered the mysteries of flower development and how these flowers ultimately give rise to fruit. Martin Yanofsky, professor of biology at UC San Diego, discusses recent studies that have begun to unravel these long-standing mysteries, leading to a detailed understanding of how a handful of genes interact to direct the formation of flowers and fruit. This new-found knowledge offers remarkable opportunities for increasing the yield of agriculturally important crop plants. Series: "Evolution Matters" [Science] [Show ID: 13547]