Yesterday's show got off to a slow start, but I think it sped up to interesting status somewhere within the first third of the hour. Thanks to the questions from our callers. We do always appreciate them.
It was nice to hear a dissertation on the possibilities of earthquakes in the bay area from Ted. The good news is that we should be prepared, but there probably won't be a disaster of terrible magnitude for many years to come. Beware east bay residents. The Hayward fault might prove dangerous for your side of the bay.
A consortium of researchers have sequenced the genome of the
Japanese puffer fish,
Fubu rubripes. The puffer fish has a very similar genome to that of humans, but it comes with fewer base pairs. Basically, the fish has less of what is termed "junk DNA"; the sequences of DNA that have no known function. This makes determining the sequence of the puffer fish genome an easier task than sequencing the human genome. Now that it has been sequenced, the information that has been gathered will help researchers in identifying similar components of the human genome. The fish genome was sequenced using the whole genome shotgun sequencing method. The DNA is broken down into very small segments that are then sequenced individually. The small sequences are then pieced together much like once solves a puzzle with the help of a computational algorithm. The help was needed since there were over 4 million fragments to put together.
A recent study at the University of Kansas has determined that
eggs, the cholesterol harbingers that we love so dearly, contain a lipid that decreases the body's absorption of cholesterol. It is known as phosphatidylcholine, and it basically interferes with the absorption process. So, remember that too much of a good thing can always be bad for you, eat your eggs in moderation, and feel no guilt.
current science news posted by Kirsten at 10/31/2001 12:40:00 PM
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