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Biologists have just finished sequencing the first genome in doggy DNA, according to a story in Science Daily. The first dog to have his genes mapped was a poodle named Shadow, but the mapping wasn't fully completed. This new completely mapped genome comes from a boxer.
This accomplishment has many applications for the field of veterinary medicine, as it could help to find genetic predispositions and treatments for diseases like cancer and diabetes. And, since many of these diseases are shared by humans, they could help with human medical research as well.
Breeders can use this information to test the purity of their dogs' breed, and they will eventually be able to use the genetic information to find and eliminate disease-causing mutations that can be passed down through pedigree lines.
There are also companies already marketing this new discovery as a way to identify dog breeds. The Christian Science Monitor reported last year that a company called Wisdom Panel MX is offering DNA testing to identify the breeds in mixed-breed dogs. The test requires a blood sample and costs around $125.
My dog, Jem, is a mutt, and I've always been curious as to what mix she is. I don't know that I'd put her through a blood draw and shell out $125 to find out, though. What do you all think?
I try very, very hard not to be pretentious and snarky when people say stupid things about authors or works of literature.
But I was reading some comments on another literature blog today, and someone said the following:
"I like him for the same reason everyone else seems to, he is emo..."
He was referring to Poe.
Seriously?
SERIOUSLY??
This, of course, prompted a long exchange of jokes in an IM conversation with a friend of mine. (References to Poe wearing girls' pants and guyliner, listening to "Carriage-seat Confessional," and cutting himself with his quill were included, natch.)
Something is wrong with people today.
(Oh, and the same guy listed poems by Poe that he liked, which included The Fall of the House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, and Fall of the House of Usher. All of which are stories, not poems. *Sigh* Idiot.)
Oh man, where to begin?
I started reading Good Omens, a book by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, at the advice of my better half, Greg. He's a big fan of Gaiman's other works, which include New York Times Bestseller American Gods, Quill Book Award Winner Marvel 1602, and the Sandman series of graphic novels.
At around the same time, my friend Jenn (who has impeccable taste in literature) was raving about Pratchett's work, saying that he was "right up my alley" and that she knew I'd love his books.
Well, with ringing endorsements coming at me from all angles, there was really nothing I could do but start reading.
And the verdict? So far, I love it. It's absolutely hilarious. A review on the back cover likens it to "the Book of Revelation rewritten by Monty Python," and that's the most accurate description I can find. If you liked Monty Python's Life of Brian, you will love--not like, love--this book.
So, what's it about? It's about Armageddon. It's about the Antichrist (a boy named Adam Young) and a normal child (who sadly got named Warlock) being switched at birth. It's about an angel named Aziraphale who owns an antique book store and a demon named Crowley who drives a Bentley and listens to a lot of Queen, although not by choice. It's about the four horsemen: War, Famine, Pollution (Pestilence retired when penicillin was discovered), and Death. It's about the end of the world getting all fouled up by a Satanist nun named Sister Mary Loquacious*.
You get the picture.
What are you waiting for, people? Get thee to a library!
Actually, skip the library and go to a bookstore instead. You'll want to keep this one.
*It's also chock-full of informative footnotes, which are equally as funny as the rest of the book. Even when they go on for more than two pages. No, I'm not joking.
Historical fiction is a genre I typically really enjoy, and The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant, is no exception
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My name is Christina. I'm a 23-year-old graphic designer student and part-owner of a social marketing company, but my hobby and my passion has always been literature.
When I was four, I taught myself to read because I was tired of having to wait on my parents to finish what they were doing to read to me. Since then, I've nurtured an ongoing love of literature. That's why the focus of this blog is going to be to share that love with other people
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South Cornwall, England was the set of a horrific scene on Monday, June 9, as more than 40 dolphins swam inland and beached themselves on the shores of the Percuil River. Many of them were coaxed back into the open water, but 26 died on the riverbanks. It was the biggest stranding of marine animals in Britain in over three decades.
Postmortem examinations of the bodies revealed a strange phenomenon: the dolphins had all ingested and inhaled large amounts of mud from the estuary as they swam upriver
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In addition to human dads all over the country, the Smithsonian National Zoo's only male rhea will celebrate the joys of fatherhood tomorrow. The proud papa had four chicks hatch last month, bringing the zoo's total rhea population to seven including the father and the zoo's two female birds.
The rhea, which is in its own order within the class Aves, is a large, flightless bird that shares similar physical attributes with the ostrich, cassowary, and emu.The greater or American rhea (Rhea americana) can reach heights of around 5 feet, while the lesser or Darwin's rhea (Rhea pennata) is smaller, reaching a height of 3.5 to 4 feet on average. A native of South America, it is an omnivorous bird which prefers broad-leafed plants but will also eat seeds, fruit, insects, and small vertebrates
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My name's Christina. I'm 23 and I live in Kansas City, Missouri with my wonderful significant other and our six pets. (Two dogs and four cats... it's a zoo! Heh.)
Animals have always fascinated me, which is why I've decided to make them the subject of this blog
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