The publication of the sequence of the Arabidopsis thaliana genome on 14 December 2000 was appropriately saluted by the world's press. Here are a few snippets of what it had to say.

“More than one hundred scientists from three continents presented yesterday, after nine years of work, the first complete genetic sequence of a plant, a herb that tends to grow on roads and over garden walls.

El Pais, Spain

“ . . . scientists now have the genetic toolbox that will allow them to tinker with an entire kingdom of life upon which all animals, including humans, are completely dependent. 'It's like standing on top of a hill and seeing gold mines everywhere', said Elliot Meyerowitz of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.”

The Washington Post, US

“The genetic blueprint of a plant has been mapped for the first time, paving the way for new cancer drugs, more nutritious food and a revolution in scientists' understandings of the way living organisms work.”

The Times, UK

“The data are now here, and all that's left to do is to classify, analyse and understand. For scientists, the next step will be to determine the function of all these genes — the same challenge faced by their colleagues working on the fruitfly, nematode and yeast.”

Le Temps, Switzerland

And the last word should go to this UK paper: “ . . .William Curtis, a British botanist, described a weed called Arabidopsis thaliana as having 'no particular virtues or uses'. More than 200 years later, he could not have been proved more wrong.”

The Guardian, UK