Genetic Secrets Of Date Palm Unlocked

Science Daily: "Researchers have mapped a draft version of the date palm genome, unlocking many of its genetic secrets."

When you've doubled your genes, what's 1 chromosome more or less?

EurekAlert: "For animals, an extra chromosome can result in major problems, but plants are another matter. Many plants can survive an extra copy of their entire genome (polyploidy), and this process often results in a new species, making it an important mechanism in evolution. In fact, over 80 percent of plants may be a product of polyploidy. This research examines how polyploidy and genomic change can lead to evolutionary change, and affect plants' fitness and vigor."

Genome sequencing reveals genetic diversity of the bacteria that cause Buruli ulcer

EurekAlert: "A new study lays the groundwork for development of a cost-effective tool for studying the population structure and spread of Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer. Researchers at the Swiss Tropical Institute, Basel, Switzerland, and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Legon, Ghana, developed SNP typing assays to systematically profile genetic diversity among M. ulcerans isolates by sequencing and comparing the genomes of selected strains."