lpetrich

According to this announcement, some sequencing centers have received funding to start work on sequencing the chimpanzee genome. However, I could not find out much more.

But a chimp sequence will help in the search of more genes like FOXP2, whose human version is involved in producing language.

In other news, sequencing has been completed for a fourth human chromosome; 14 now joins 20, 21, and 22. It has 1050 genes and 393 pseudogenes; comparing this chromosome to mouse and pufferfish genes has helped identify many of those genes.

Also recently is announcement of a project to sequence the banana genome. This will be especially valuable, since cultivated bananas are often triploid, which makes them sterile and reproducible only by planting cuttings, a low-tech way of cloning plants that's been done for centuries.

Valentine Pontifex

That Banana Genome Project.

Now there just has to be a good joke in that.