A group of researchers from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and the University at Buffalo have created what they call a “sparsely-sized” gene library.

The library contains a mere 3,000 genes that are used to make one of the world’s most successful human traits: the ability to produce offspring that are half-or more male.

They’ve made it possible for scientists to use these genes to engineer more robust populations, including humans.

But the researchers say that a similar approach can be used to create gene-editing tools that could create new varieties of genetic materials.

This article first appeared on Newsweek.com.