Add us to yourGoogle favoritesThe genomes of two pumpkin species, Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita moschata, have been decoded, unveiling a unique evolutionary tale. Scientists from the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) in Beijing have recently decoded the genomes of two critical pumpkin species, Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita moschata. Moreover, the findings from this study have also revealed an intriguing, because unusual, evolutionary history. Thus, the pumpkin genome developed a long time ago. Sometimes, one of the genomes will dominate the others in retaining more genes, a phenomenon observed in corn, for instance.