The Origin of Land Plants Is Rooted in Two Bursts of Genomic Novelty

Comparing 208 genomes gives insight into the role of gene novelty in plant evolution

•Two bursts of genomic novelty played a major role in the evolution of land plants

•Functions linked to these novelties are multicellularity and terrestrialization

•The backbone of hormone signaling either predates or accompanies this transition

Understanding the diversification of plant life on Earth is still one of the major challenges in evolutionary biology.