Genome-sequencing data indicates that sponges were preceded by ctenophores, complex marine predators also called comb jellies.
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Genome-sequencing data indicates that sponges were preceded by ctenophores, complex marine predators also called comb jellies.
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The UK has planned to fully sequence the genome of 100,000 Britons with cancer and rare diseases in an effort to decode their DNA, and hopefully find a cure for diseases. The project is unusual because it will decode the entire genome, not just parts of it.
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Sequencing DNA is nothing new, but it’s much harder to sequence the DNA of a single cell. In order to get enough DNA for sequencing, usually thousands or millions of cells are required. Finding out which mutations are in which cells is extremely difficult, making the mutations present in only a few cells, like early cancerous cells, almost impossible to detect.
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An international team has produced a rough draft of wheat’s DNA sequence. The draft identifies many of its genes and makes it possible to identify thousands of potential genetic changes that could improve this crop. It’s been long considered one of the most important crop genomes.
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Human populations have grown exponentially in the past 5,000 years, and new genetic mutations arise in each new generation. Humans have a vast abundance of rare genetic variants in the protein-encoding sections of the genome. A new study tries to clarify when many of these rare variants arose.
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Scientists have finally been able to completely sequence the genome of a domestic pig, which will allow farmers to breed healthier and meatier pigs, as well as creating more faithful models of human disease.
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In Cambridge, UK, there was a superbug outbreak at a special-care neonatal unit that lasted several months last year. Thanks to insights gained from whole-genome sequencing, the outbreak was stopped.
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Bactrian camels have sky-high blood glucose levels, a diet loaded with salt and tend to pack away fat. These evolutionary adaptations help them survive in extremely dry and cold regions of the world.
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This week, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched a new database known as ClinVar, which will make physicians’ jobs much easier.
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Twelve years after the first draft of the human genome was published, back in 2000, geneticists have discovered that very few diseases are linked to changes in the genes themselves. Genome-wide studies searching for the genetic components of common diseases, such as lung cancer or autism, have pointed to regions between protein-inducing genes, areas where there is “junk” DNA.
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