When a clock gene is switched on, it directs the cell to produce proteins, which eventually trigger a signal that switches the gene off.

BBC: Body clock 'set before birth'

The scientists used tests on mice to determine whether a defect in this gene is enough to trigger DCM.

BBC: Gene link to inherited heart disease

When it is time to make the plants male again, researchers spray on a chemical (which might also prove a money-spinner for the company) to trigger the activity of another foreign gene that blocks the activity of ribonuclease and allows pollen production once more.

ECONOMIST: Terminator genes