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May 19, 2010

Réunion island as a reflection of the world

http://www.physorg.com/news193499950.html

The worm Pristionchus pacificus was frequently introduced onto the island as a "stowaway", whereupon it achieved a substantial degree of genetic diversity, and enabling it to adapt quickly to new habitats. Just why this particular species is so successful throughout the world is a subject which the scientists are keen to explore more closely at their new field station. "To achieve this, we need to consider population genetics and evolutionary ecology as well," says Ralf Sommer, Director at the Tübingen-based Institute. (Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010). Read more...

January 15, 2010

Making microscopic worms into a more deadly insecticide

http://www.physorg.com/news182777806.html

Microscopic nematode worms can be a potent organic insecticide, killing crop-raiding bugs without harming plants or beneficial insects and without environmental side effects of chemical. The problem is that when the worms are mass-bred for agricultural purposes, they tend to, as Byron Adams says, "wimp out," and are not as deadly as their cousins that grow in the wild. Read more...

September 1, 2009

The Fantasy Genome Project

M. hapla genome cited in NY Times

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/the-fantasy-genome-project/

"Here’s a game for a rainy afternoon. If you could pick any organism to have its whole genome sequenced — what would it be?

I played this recently, and it made me ponder. For it raises another, more fundamental question: what does a genome actually tell us?"

Dr. Oivia Judson notes hapla as an example to explain fundamental questions of evolution.

"The plant-parasitic nematode Meloidogyne hapla is a case in point: it has about 5,500 fewer genes than the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Similarly, parasitic bacteria tend to have smaller genomes than free-living bacteria. Why does this happen? Because parasites can piggy-back on their hosts for many tasks, such as getting nutrients. They lose the genes because they don’t need them anymore."

Read the entire article: "The Fantasy Genome Project"