The Genius of Charles Darwin
posted on Aug 8, 2008 - View this thread

It turns out if it looks like a duck it's partly a duck. A bunch of scientist got together and set about to decode the platypus genome, and guess what!?! "What we found was the genome, just like the animal, is an amazing amalgam of reptilian and mammal characteristics with quite a few unique platypus characteristics as well". “You have got these reptilian repeat patterns and these more recently evolved milk genes and independent evolution of the venom. It all points to how idiosyncratic evolution is.” “We have microRNAs that are shared with chickens and not mammals as well as ones that are shared with mammals, but not chickens.” Also, apparently, male platypi have venomous spikes on their heels that can kill dogs!
posted on May 8, 2008 - View this thread

Scientists have built the first synthetic genome by stringing together 147 pages of letters representing the building blocks of DNA.
posted on Jan 26, 2008 - View this thread

The Diploid Genome Sequence of J. Craig Venter. (Previous MeFi)
posted on Sep 16, 2007 - View this thread

How to Sequence a Genome [Flash. H/T to Jay]. Visualization of the process of genetic sequencing. Posted on the Nova website in conjunction with their show, Cracking the Code of Life, hosted by Robert Krulwich [Wiki].
posted on Aug 23, 2007 - View this thread

"Circos is designed for visualizing alignments, conservation and intra- and inter-chromosomal relationships within a genome, between genomes, or between any two or more sets of objects with a corresponding distance scale." Illustrative (via).
posted on Jan 23, 2007 - View this thread

A more efficient microbe genome. A more efficient sorting algorithm. A more efficient keyboard layout.
posted on Aug 26, 2005 - View this thread

Six degrees of Nirvana, see how bands are connected to each other.
posted on Mar 16, 2005 - View this thread

New Scientist reports that a virus has been built up from mail order components. Other reports on this are in USA Today and Nature. This isn't time life has been created in the lab, as previously linked.
What's interesting is that this study was funded by the Department of Energy to produce a completely man made lifeform that can create hydrogen or consume greenhouse gasses. The present virus is an artificially created copy of a naturally occurring virus.
posted on Nov 14, 2003 - View this thread

"We are becoming the masters of our own DNA. But does that give us the right to decide that my children should never have been born?" John Sundman is a science fiction novelist and the father of two children with severe medical conditions. In this two-part article he shares his experiences and thoughts on bioethics, the Human Genome Project and whether genetics research is paving the way for a resurgent eugenics movement.
posted on Oct 24, 2003 - View this thread

DNA used to ascertain race of unidentified serial killer. Florida company DNAPrint Genomics claims their test can identify the race (ie, African, Caucasian, East Asian or American Indian) of a person from their DNA. CEO Tony Frudakis says that "of over 2,200 blind samples tested, the test is yet to get one wrong."
posted on Jun 5, 2003 - View this thread

Dr Venter says he will be able to provide an individual's genome on a CD in about a week for $712,000 (£400,000) from later this year with the ultimate goal to sequence someone's entire genome in 24 hours for $1,000 (£562).
posted on Sep 23, 2002 - View this thread

Genome liberation. "Life science researchers -- even those who work in academic settings -- are finding that corporations are just as eager to patent the tools as they are the data, and in many cases, universities are bending over backward to let the private sector have its way. As a result, a growing number of bioinformatics researchers are beginning to look to the free-software and open-source software movements for inspiration in their quest for bio freedom."
posted on Feb 26, 2002 - View this thread

Why Genetic Engineering Is So Dangerous Environmentalist/biologist Barry Commoner's essay in the February issue of Harper's magazine warns about the unknown dangers of genetic engineering. "...billions of transgenic plants are now being grown with only the most rudimentary knowledge about the resulting changes in their composition. Without detailed, ongoing analyses of the transgenic crops, there is no way of knowing what hazardous consequences may arise. But, given the failure of the Central Dogma, there is no assurance that they will not. The genetically engineered crops now being grown represent a huge uncontrolled experiment; its outcome is inherently unpredictable. Our project is designed to help develop effective public understanding of the dangerous implications of this critical predicament." He asserts that the "Central Dogma", the basis for the Human Genome Project, was known to be flawed prior to the inception of the $3 billion program. Should we be amused/impressed or very worried when we read about pig/spinach crosses and the like? Related article here.
posted on Jan 25, 2002 - View this thread

Last week I was watching a Nova program on PBS called 'Cracking the Code of Life', which brought to my attention a disturbing fact about the process of mapping the Human Genome; private companies have applied for patents for gene sequences that they've mapped. Many of these patents were applied for before the government began the Human Genome Project. Although the patent office has put these applications on hold until it figures out what to do with them, many drug companies an researchers won't work with a gene sequence if there is a patent application outstanding. You can get involved yourself by petitioning against patents on life.
posted on May 1, 2001 - View this thread

"There are only a few hundred genes that we have in the human genome that are not in the mouse genome," says Craig Venter, chief scientific officer at Celera Genomics. Information on the human genome released today reveals that there are far fewer genes than first thought - humans only have double the amount that worms and flies do. [more inside...]
posted on Feb 11, 2001 - View this thread

The Human Genome in Human Context: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Genome.
posted on Dec 27, 2000 - View this thread

The Missyplicity Project seeks to clone a dog for the first time in history - a specific dog named Missy. Missy is a beloved pet, getting on in years, whose wealthy owners wish to reproduce her. See also Genetic Savings and Clone
posted on Dec 16, 2000 - View this thread

Soon you can get your own copy of the Human Genome. (Funny, I thought I already had one.)
posted on Sep 19, 2000 - View this thread

A beta version of the source code for humans is now available for download.

Not that I'd have any idea what to do with this. Anyone up for a 740mb download?
posted on Jul 8, 2000 - View this thread

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Human Genome Project completed!!!!!
posted on Jun 25, 2000 - View this thread