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.
A Teeny-Tiny Detector for Teeny-Tiny Organisms
June 05, 2008
Technology Review covers a "nanotechnology-based biosensor that can detect trace amounts of as many as 25 different microorganisms simultaneously and within minutes." The device, developed with carbon nanofibers by scientists at the NASA Ames Research Center, has been licensed to a company that specializes in monitoring biohazards.
