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First Whole Cancer Genome Sequenced

Posted by timothy on from the gee-gnome-sounds-like-a-good-open-source-project dept.

dooling writes "A paper detailing the sequencing of the first human cancer genome will be published in the 6 November 2008 issue of Nature. This is not only the first cancer genome published, it is the first female genome as well. You can read the paper's abstract, DNA sequencing of a cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukaemia genome, or the story in Science News. This issue of Nature also has articles on the sequencing of the first African and Asian genomes. The sequencing in all three articles was done using the Illumina Genome Analyzer, one of the massively parallel, next-generation genome sequencing platforms."

3 of 115 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Population and cancer by MadAhab · · Score: 5, Insightful

    But at most linearly, and not much - because of increase survival times, as opposed to the geometric effect of birth rates.

    On that note, countries with long lives tend to need to support a fair amount of old people, which makes kids expensive, and keeps birth rates down.

    Countries where birth rates are high and where life spans are short have a strong correlation. And they keep growing.

    Compare, say, any European country or Japan or coastal US vs any sub-Saharan African country.

    And as someone with a spouse with cancer, I have to say go fuck yourself.

    --
    Expanding a vast wasteland since 1996.
  2. Two genomes from the same person by jfengel · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The Science News article says that they sequenced both a cancer cell and a non-cancer cell from this woman. So we can specifically say "these are the bases that are different" and from there (with luck) to "this is the mutation that happened".

    That should prove quite illuminating.

  3. Re:Population and cancer by MrMista_B · · Score: 5, Funny

    Okay, so... are you volunteering yourself as the first to be killed in the name of population control?

    How about a random lottery? Every couple years, we chose one in a hundred thousand people, and kill them.

    Or what about shutting down hospitals? If we get rid of all the doctors, I'm sure the reduction in population growth will make you very happy.

    While we're at it, instead of incarcerating murderers, how about we reward them? After all, they're helping curb population growth.

    Or you know what? Fuck you.