Researchers at Cornell's campus in Qatar have mapped the date palm genome, according to the Gulf Times. "We have generated a draft DNA sequence and initial assembly of the date palm," Joel Malek says, a project that involved using next-gen sequencers. He and his colleagues are working to expand the draft sequence but in the meantime say their work will be made available to other researchers. The date palm is an important crop in the Middle East.
In nearby Dubai, researchers say they have cloned the first camel, a one-humped female called Injaz, or "achievement."