Seeds remain in a dormant state, a temporary blockage of their germination, as long as environmental conditions are not ideal for germination. The depth of this dormancy, which is influenced by various factors, is inherited from their mother, as researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, have previously shown. Today, they reveal in the journal eLife how this maternal imprint is transmitted through small fragments of so-called 'interfering' RNAs, which inactivate certain genes.