 |
| Camelus bactianus |
Camels are one of the worlds most precious creatures in dry and arid areas. They are able to survive for weeks in hostile environments without food and water. Also, camels provide enough milk for human consumption and can be used as a source of meat. Genetic research on camels has been very difficult because the genetic code has not been fully analyzed. However, scientists have found 116,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP's) in the genetic sequence of the Bactrian camel, the two humped camel. The genetic relationship is very similar between the Bactrian and the Dromedary camel, the
single humped camel. About 85 percent of the genomic
sequences found in the Bactrian have also been discovered
 |
| Camelus dromedaries |
in the Dromedary. Camels are very precious creatures to the Earth and a lot more research needs to
be done on them.
NOS Themes-
- Science is collaborative- many scientists are working to decode the genome of camels
- Science is based on evidence- an animals genome does not change and has been recorded
- Conflicts within the scientific community- many people rely on camels to survive
- Role of motivation and curiosity- scientist are intrigued by unraveling an animals genome
Here's a link to the Article- www.biologynews.net
This is a very interesting article. Although camels are very cool organisms, I'm not really sure how decoding their entire genome would benefit mankind? I was intrigued to know how much this project costs. Average costs is about $50,000.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/science/11gene.html?_r=0
Here is the link:
This article surprised me. I would have thought that with the advanced technology of today that an animal as unique as a camel would have been sequenced by now. I also question what benefit this would have other than for evolutionary purposes. Although at the same time it would be intriguing to possibly single out what allows camels to survive so long without food or water on a genetic level.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about decoding the camel genome. I think this could be very beneficial if we can figure out why camels can last so long. If it is because they can hold on to food and water more efficiently, it definitely could help us, especially in developing countries. This could help decrease world hunger.
ReplyDeleteI hope the ability to go without water and food for weeks is in the code.I think it would be so cool that once we do eventually decode them, we might find a gene that we could use to insert into livestock. We wouldn't have to feed them water or food everyday and farmers could make much more of a profit. Maybe we could get a new breed of dog that is the same way so you won't have to worry if you fed it enough or not too.
ReplyDelete