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.
Open Science's Greatest Need Is ... Non-Scientists?
July 03, 2009
Pawel Szczesny at Freelancing Science has a post considering models of open science, and how best to encourage it. For one thing, he says, it would be helpful to test various models outside the scientific arena: "Principles of Open Source software did not prove to be useful in open drug development. ... Crowdsourcing will not advance quantum physics," he writes. "Open Science in its fullest form is not an issue that scientists can truly solve by themselves."
In a post he advises readers to "take with a pinch of salt," Neil Saunders has a post on social bookmarking options offered on journal websites. PLoS and BioMed Central clearly get it, he says, but a snapshot of the bookmarks available at Nature (limited to Connotea) leaves Saunders asking, "So NPG: is it 'we promote sharing' or 'we promote sharing so long as you use our service?'"
