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.
Depends on Whether You Like Port
July 10, 2009
There is a wager between Lewis Wolpert and Rupert Sheldrake on the predictive value of the genome, to be decided on May 1, 2029. The winner gets a case of port. Wolpert, an embryologist at University College, London, says that by that date, researchers will be able to predict all the details and any abnormalities of an organism from the genome of the fertilized egg. Sheldrake, a parapsychologist, says that will not be possible. They further explain their views in the New Scientist.
