1,000 Genomes Project results published
Scientists have published the full genetic sequences of more than 1,000 people from 14 countries, creating the most complete inventory of the millions of variations between people's DNA sequences ever assembled. The resource, built by the 1,000 Genomes Project, will shed light on the genetic roots of complex diseases and suggest ways to treat them as well as informing studies of human evolution. The results of the 1,000 Genomes Project have been published in the science journal Nature and contain the full DNA sequences of 1,092 people drawn from 14 populations around the world, including Europe, the Americas, East Asia and Africa. The pilot results were unveiled in 2010, with the genomes of 179 people published to show that the technology and methods were robust. The five-year project, which cost about US$120 million, is an international collaboration between scientists, charities and companies to map the full diversity of human DNA. The Guardian
House finch a fair weather friend
House finches avoid sick members of their own species, scientists said in a finding that could be useful for tracking the spread of diseases like bird flu that also affects humans. Laboratory tests showed that the house finch, a particularly social North American species, was able to tell the difference between sick and healthy fellow birds and tended to avoid those that were unwell. This is the first time that avoidance of sick individuals, already observed in lobsters and bullfrog tadpoles, has been shown in birds, according to a paper in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters. AFP