Menu Close

Articles on Genome sequencing

Displaying 1 - 20 of 44 articles

The red mangrove is among the species already selected for genome sequencing. Busara/Shutterstock

Why African scientists are studying the genes of African species, and how they do it

The African BioGenome Project is a pan-African project that seeks to sequence Africa’s endemic and indigenous plants and animals.
Shutterstock/ktsdesign

As New Zealand’s Omicron infections rise rapidly, genome surveillance is shifting gears

Without genome sequencing, we would be blind to new variants of COVID-19. As Omicron surges in New Zealand, the sequencing focus is shifting to learning about what causes severe or long-term disease.
A virus’s genes hold a record of where it’s traveled, and when. imaginima/E+ via Getty Images

Charting changes in a pathogen’s genome yields clues about its past and hints about its future

After a nose swab tests positive for a virus or bacteria, scientists can use the sample’s genetic sequence to figure out where and when the pathogen emerged and how fast it’s changing.
Ivan Yudin\TASS via Getty Images

Calling the latest gene technologies ‘natural’ is a semantic distraction — they must still be regulated

Nuclear bombs use reactions that can occur naturally, but that is a nonsense argument to deregulate them. So why are these same arguments used to promote deregulation of gene technology?
Shutterstock

South African health experts have identified a new lineage of SARS-CoV-2: what’s known so far

We are being cautious about the implications for vaccine efficacy and transmissibility while we gather more data to understand this lineage.
Shutterstock/Zita

Why rapid genome sequencing is key to finding out how long Delta has been in NZ, and how large this outbreak might be

As more genomes are sequenced, it will become clearer when and how the Delta variant slipped through the New Zealand border. The greater the diversity in genomes, the older and larger the outbreak.
Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

Close contact test results will be crucial to whether Auckland’s level 3 lockdown is extended beyond three days

The highly infectious nature of the COVID-19 variant, and the fact the infections have no clear link to the border, leaves the worrying possibility of a more widespread community outbreak.

Top contributors

More