China’s 7,000-year-old sunmao woodwork leads to world’s most efficient DNA editing tool

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Shi HuangJanuary 16, 2026 at 09:48 AM

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A research team from Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a highly efficient DNA editing tool inspired by the ancient Chinese sunmao woodwork technique. The sunmao, a mortise-and-tenon joint dating back 7,000 years to China's Hemudu culture, uses interlocking pieces without nails or glue. Applying this concept to gene editing, the team created a tool that achieves insertion and replacement efficiencies up to 59.47% in rice. At certain genomic loci, the new tool's editing efficiency is reportedly ten times higher than traditional Cas9-based systems. The tool represents a significant advancement in gene editing technology.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Rice 30% Hemudu culture 40% Zhejiang province 50% Cas9 60% United States 70% Peking University 80% Chinese Academy of Sciences 80% China ×290%

Keywords

gene editing 100% sunmao woodwork 90% dna editing tool 80% mortise-and-tenon joint 70% editing efficiency 60% peking university 50% chinese academy of sciences 50% cas9-based systems 40% genomic loci 40%