A simple tissue sample from a plant, like a branch or leaf, can grow into a whole new plant. This ability could have applications in the production of food, biomass and medicine, and the genes responsible for regeneration in plants could provide insights into which genes might have the same potential in humans. The study of these genes reached a new level of detail in 2009 with the reporting of single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq). An international project led by scientists at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) reports in Nucleic Acids Research of a new version of scRNA-seq, single cell-digital gene expression (1cell-DGE), which provides even more information on the relationship between gene expressions and cell behavior like regeneration.