1. A recent study analyzed the genome of the fungus that causes powdery mildew on grapevines from 1918 and compared it to modern strains.
2. The study found that the historic strain was very similar to strains found in Europe today, indicating little genetic change over the past century.
3. However, the researchers also discovered genes in the historic strain that are now absent from modern strains, suggesting the old strain may have been better able to infect a wider range of hosts.