Scientists Launch Effort To Sequence The DNA Of 10,000 Vertebrates

Scientists have an ambitious new strategy for untangling the evolutionary history of humans and their biological relatives: Create a genetic menagerie made of the DNA of more than 10,000 vertebrate species. The plan, proposed by an international consortium of scientists, is to obtain, preserve, and sequence the DNA of approximately one species for each genus of living mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.

"Understanding the evolution of the vertebrates is one of the greatest detective stories in science," said David Haussler, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). "No one has ever really known how the elephant got its trunk, or how the leopard got its spots. This project will lay the foundation for work that will answer those questions and many others."
Known as the Genome 10K Project, the approximately $50 million initiative is "tremendously exciting science that will have great benefits for human and animal health," Haussler said. "Within our lifetimes, we could get a glimpse of the genetic changes that have given rise to some of the most diverse life forms on the planet."

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Convocatoria para el Posgrado en el INECOL, Xalapa

::: INECOL ::: Maestría y Doctorado :::

Se ha publicado la Convocatoria para ingreso al Posgrado del INECOL, Xalapa (ecología, biodiversidad, sistemática, conservación y manejo de los recursos naturales)
La Secretaría de Posgrado tiene como misión la formación de recursos humanos de alto nivel (Maestria y Doctorado en Ciencias) con el objeto de:

• Capacitarlos para realizar investigación científica original.
• Que apliquen los conocimientos científicos y tecnológicos a la solución de los problemas concretos enfrentados por la sociedad a la cual pertenecen.

Las áreas de investigación con mayor énfasis en el programa académico del posgrado incluyen:

• Biodiversidad y Sistemática
• Conservación
• Ecología
• Manejo de Recursos

Los estudiantes latinoamericanos pueden optar a becas de CONACYT México.
La información sobre la convocatoria esta aquí >>>

Computational Biology in Colombia

PLoS Computational Biology: Computational Biology in Colombia

High-throughput techniques are somewhat restricted in developing countries. However, computational resources have evolved in recent years to become available to the general public, with greater ability to solve intense computational problems at low cost. Therefore, the vast amount of information that is currently being generated and the need for finding the underpinnings of several issues in biology, have been the impetus of the computational biology area in Latin America. Colombia is no exception, as its rich genetic diversity has convened the attention of several institutions, including both governmental and academic departments, to find how, where, and when these resources could be employed to its benefit. In this review, we introduce the efforts being made throughout the country to spread the word and establish a strong network from a mid- and long-term perspective.

In Colombia, computational biology is just starting to be known as a field of research in its own right. Until now, mainly chemists and biologists have used bioinformatics as a tool to try to solve their particular research problems. We start by reviewing the work of some research groups and their projects. Next, we identify the driving forces of computational research and the problems to be faced in the future. This review is not exhaustive and we apologize for any groups that were not mentioned or acknowledged.

Restrepo S, Pinzón A, Rodríguez-R LM, Sierra R, Grajales A, et al. (2009) Computational Biology in Colombia. PLoS Comput Biol 5(10): e1000535. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000535

http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pcbi.1000535