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

Advertising in ophthalmology : II. Advertising is a defensible aspect of free enterprise

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27081/1/0000072.pd

Are feelings of genetically modified food politically driven?

Political affiliation can play a key role in shaping interest towards and emotions about new technologies such as genetically modified (GM) food. This paper examines the extent to which emotional feelings towards and interest in the issue of GM food in the United Kingdom are politically determined. We use the United Kingdom-representative UEA-MORI Risk Survey from 2002 containing information on people's feelings and interests towards GM food to undertake multivariate analysis investigating whether these feelings and interests were formed independently of political attitudes. Results confirm that political affiliation affected both feelings towards GM food and interest in the issue of GM food. Educational attainment is found to influence the extent of individuals' interest in GM food while younger generations seem to be less interested and more likely to not have bad feelings about GM food. Overall, results stress the influential role of politically-based information, in individuals' information updating and emotional responses to new technologies