As we head into the weekend, here’s a few things we’ve noticed that are worth your screen-time.
In the journals
Navon, O., Sul, J.H., Han, B., Conde, L., Bracci, P., Riby, J., et al. 2013. Rare variant association testing under low-coverage sequencing. Genetics, doi: 10.1534/genetics.113.150169.
In this paper, we propose two novel methods for detecting association of rare SNPs with disease risk, using low coverage, error-prone sequencing. We show by simulation that our methods outperform previous methods under both low and high coverage sequencing, and under different disease architectures.
Petschenka, G., Fandrich, S., Sander, N., Wagschal, V., Boppré, M. & Dobler, S. n.d. Stepwise evolution of resistance to toxic cardenolides via genetic substitutions in the Na+/K+-ATPase of milkweed butterflies (Lepidoptera: Danaini). Evolution, doi: 10.1111/evo.12152.
Despite the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) being famous for its adaptations to the defensive traits of its milkweed host plants, little is known about the macroevolution of these traits.
In the news
Infuriating: Sixteen-year-old conducts a DIY chemistry experiment that probably all of us have seen done, ends up charged with a felony.
Still more on the increasingly worrying politics around U.S. government funding for science by Phil Plait.
