The Vertebrate Genomes Project caused a stir this week by publishing genomes of 15 species as a way of announcing a more ambitious plan of sequencing the genomes of all 66,000 living vertebrate species. That covers most of what might first come to mind when naming animals--dogs and cats and chickens and pigs and sheep and monkeys and tigers and sharks--basically most of what you might see at a zoo or on a farm. At the same time, it is a tiny and nonrepresentative fraction (>1%) of the estimated 8.7 million species on … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Pack Your Genes for the Cruise
Noah's Ark
Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 5
"Who built the Ark?" "Noah! Noah!" "Who built the Ark?" "Brother Noah built the Ark." This week, in our reading of When Science and Christianity Meet, Janet Browne takes up the topic of The Flood and Noah's Ark. If you recognize the children's song I'm quoting, you'll probably agree with Browne that the Noah story is "deeply embedded" in our minds and culture. Young children respond positively to animals, making Noah's Ark a natural motif for toys and accessories. My church has a large Ark mural outside the nursery and … [Read more...] about Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 5