13 MAR 2014 by ideonexus
How to Resurrect a Species
The genome of a closely related species will have a high proportion of identical DNA, so it can serve as a blueprint, or “scaffold.” The passenger pigeon’s closest genetic relative is the band-tailed pigeon, which Shapiro is now sequencing. By comparing the fragments of passenger-pigeon DNA with the genomes of similar species, researchers can assemble an approximation of an actual passenger-pigeon genome. [...] Next the genome will have to be inscribed into a living cell... Molecular ...The steps involved. It's like a recipe.
27 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
It Takes Nature and Nurture
A third-grade boy comes home and hands his father his report card. His father looks at it and says, “How do you explain these D’s and F’s? The boy looks up at him and says, “You tell me: Is it nature or nurture?” I was once at a lively, noisy science fair with my own third-grade son, and we were touring some of his classmates efforts. Several experiments involved seeds, soil, and growth curves. One memorable little girl took great pains to explain to us that her seeds had started ...Folksonomies: nature vs nurture
Folksonomies: nature vs nurture
Raising children is like raising a plant, it takes a seed (nature) and soil (nurture).