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.
Just a Change Here and There
November 27, 2009
Nagendra Ningaraj, a former cancer researcher at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, is accused of tampering with data and images that appeared poster presentations and grant applications, says The Scientist. The Office of Research Integrity says that Ningarai swapped pictures of control and treated brain tumors and recycled old data as new data. According to The Scientist, Ningaraj, who is now at the Mercer University School of Medicine, has nether confirmed nor denied the allegations, though he has entered into a settlement agreement which prohibits him from partaking in research supported by the Public Health Service until the summer of 2012.
