Sequencing and Analysis of the Hydra Genome
Chapman, Kirkness et al., Nature
An international research collaboration reports their sequencing and analysis of the Hydra magnipapillata genome, and compare it to the genomes of several other organisms. "The Hydra genome has been shaped by bursts of transposable element expansion, horizontal gene transfer, trans-splicing, and simplification of gene structure and gene content that parallel simplification of the Hydra life cycle," the authors write. They team suggests that comparisons of the Hydra genome to the reported sequences of other animals have helped them to elucidate the evolution of several of the organism's characteristics.
Cambridge, Mass., Pubic Health Dept. Seeks to Bar Creation of New Biosafety Level 4 Labs
The department is taking the step because it is eager to avoid the controversy attached to the development of a biodefense lab in neighboring Boston, as well as to plug what it considers a loophole in current law.
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