Bostonia: v. 64, no. 1

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Asphalt nation : how the automobile took over America, and how we can take it back /

The mess. Asphalt Nation is essential reading for everyone interested in the history of our relationship with the car, and in the prospect of returning to a world of human mobility.Today our world revolves around the car - as a nation, we spend eight billion hours a year stuck in traffic. In Asphalt Nation, Jane Holtz Kay effectively calls for a revolution to reverse our automobile-dependency. Citing successful efforts in places from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon, Kay shows us that radical change is not impossible by any means. She demonstrates that there are economic, political, architectural, and personal solutions that can steer us out of.Includes bibliographical references (p. 393-403) and index.The Late Motor Age: A Defining Decade -- Pt. I. Car Glut: A Nation in Lifelock. 1. Bumper to Bumper. 2. The Geography of Inequity. 3. The Landscape of the Exit Ramp. 4. The Road to Environmental Ruin. 5. Harm to Health and Breath. 6. The Cost of the Car Culture -- Pt. II. Car Tracks: The Machine That Made the Land. 7. Model T, Model City. 8. From Front Porch to Front Seat. 9. Driving Through the Depression. 10. The Asphalt Exodus. 11. Braking the Juggernaut. 12. The Three-Car Culture -- Pt. III. Car Free: From Dead End to Exit. 13. None for the Road. 14. Zoning for Life. 15. Putting Transit on Track. 16. The Centering of America. 17. The De-Paving of America. 18. Righting the Price.The mess. Asphalt Nation is essential reading for everyone interested in the history of our relationship with the car, and in the prospect of returning to a world of human mobility.Today our world revolves around the car - as a nation, we spend eight billion hours a year stuck in traffic. In Asphalt Nation, Jane Holtz Kay effectively calls for a revolution to reverse our automobile-dependency. Citing successful efforts in places from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon, Kay shows us that radical change is not impossible by any means. She demonstrates that there are economic, political, architectural, and personal solutions that can steer us out of