Chromosome-Scale Selective Sweeps and Genomic Diversity in C. elegans
Andersen, Gerke et al., Nature Genetics
Researchers at Princeton University and elsewhere discuss the effects of chromosome-scale selective sweeps on genomic diversity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Taking a high-throughput selective sequencing approach on a collection of 200 wild C. elegans strains, the team found that the nematode's "genome variation is dominated by a set of commonly shared haplotypes on four of its six chromosomes, each spanning many megabases." Further, the team reports on its population genetic modeling experiments, which showed that "this pattern was generated by chromosome-scale selective sweeps that have reduced variation worldwide; at least one of these sweeps probably occurred in the last few hundred years," it writes.
Talking About Synthetic Biology
A poll of 1,001 American adults found that 90 percent of them think the public should be better informed about emerging technologies, reports Scientific Blogging. About 22 percent of them had heard of synthetic biology, up from nine percent last year, adds Science Progress. However, the more people learned about the field, the more concerned they became. "Regardless of their awareness of synthetic biology, or where they come down on the risk-benefit tradeoff, a strong majority of adults think this research should be regulated by the federal government," Geoff Garin, president of the company that conducted the survey, says.
Science Progress suggests that a narrative about synthetic biology, such as the recent New Yorker article, can more easily show that "brilliant people working on synthetic biology are motivated by values—just as citizens concerned about the technology are motivated by values in forming their opinions of the work."