Ink disease, which has destroyed over a million chestnut trees in Portugal in the last two decades, may have a solution thanks to the work of researcher Susana Serrazina. By comparing the DNA of European and Japanese chestnut trees, the team identified specific genes responsible for resistance. The findings could lead to the development of a vaccine, the use of molecular markers to identify vulnerable trees, and genetic editing to create resistant varieties. This discovery is significant for Portugal, Spain, and Italy, and may also be applicable to protecting cork and holm oaks.