For those of you who might not know, a genome is the genetic material of an organism that consists of DNA.
Back in 1998 scientists started to produce the first genome from an animal, a worm. Luckily, because of the advances in technology, they have now begun to produce genomes for all life forms on Earth. So two months ago, the scientists have published the DNAs code of the Antarctic blackfin icefish, the great white shark, the paper mulberry tree, and the strawberry. Also, with the help of a crowdfunding campaign, they have now produced the genome of Lil BUB, the female cat from the Internet.
But Why Do Scientists Care about This?
The purpose of this is to create a project with all the life forms of genomes. By doing this, they will learn a lot of secrets about the organism they studying and the discoveries about how life works or how to prevent diseases.
As an example, the mosquito genome of a dangerous species, Aedes aegypti, that spreads Zika. After the analysis of 80 species of mosquito in the Rockefeller University’s laboratory, the achievement has come. They mated the two sexes of mosquitos to obtain much more for the study.
Moreover, you can see a genome like an instruction book. It’s formed from a four-letter alphabet that stands for the four pieces that create the DNA, so in that way, the molecule is the code. During this study, they pay attention to a series of reactions from the mosquitos. That could help a lot at developing better traps or repellents.
However, if the searches have good results, in the future this could prevent severe flu illness or other infection from the viruses.
Case Study: The Axolotl Genome
The Axolotl is a salamander known by the capacity to regrow severed limbs and other body parts. The case of the axolotl genome was published in January last year on a publication. Its genome is ten times the size of the human one, which makes it harder to analyze.
Finally, Jeramiah Smith from the University of Kentucky says that the incredible species can replace everything you cut from it if you don’t cut its head. And this could be a serious outcome for human medicine.
