things that caught our eye this week
Most Complete Human Genome Yet Genetic knowledge is so important, helping in everything from the effectiveness of drugs to predicting inherited diseases. So we welcome this nice little incremental step reported in Nature Briefings.
An international consortium has sequenced the most complete version of the human genome ever, more than 20 years after researchers published the first draft. Around 200 million more bases now fill gaps — including the protective end-caps of chromosomes, known as telomeres, and central dense knobs called centromeres that help to orchestrate replication. The group announced on Twitter that they have sequenced another previously missing section — the Y chromosome. It “really gives us some insight into regions of the genome that have been invisible”, says genomicist Deanna Church.Science | 9 min read
Reference: Science papers
An apple a day? The scary threat of antibiotic-resistant organisms just won’t go away. There is evidence that the way we process and store fruit, even the humble apple, may be driving the new evolution of superbugs. Here’s Joe Davies for the Mail:
Cutting construction carbon There’s little doubt that the building industry is a big source of carbon emissions. They are well aware of this, but point out that you can’t exactly stop building new things! Maybe this Swedish idea will show a way to solve this tricky problem
The only credit we could find for this was Microsoft News-so thanks to the so far anonymous author!
And remember-all the advances we have alluded to above come from one simple thought process. You accept facts, however difficult they may be. You put them together using logic, and see if it works. If it doesn’t you like for more facts, or try a new logic.
The stupid, such as conspiracy theorists, never explain facts. They just explain them away. Instead of logic they just have huge rambling arabesques of special pleading. They achieve nothing and can lead to nothing positive. See you next week.
#carbon emissions #antibiotics #dna #genome
Learning, Science and Society 