A vampire-like parasitic plant could reveal new secrets of plant communication. According to a study published Thursday in Science, species of the strangleweed plant are able to share genetic information in the form of messenger RNA molecules (mRNA) with the plants they invade. It's possible that this RNA shuffling is allowing for communication between the parasite and the host, and if we crack their codes we could exploit them to protect crops.

That much movement in RNA molecules suggests that the parasite is sending devious cellular messages to the plants it targets, the study authors said.