Daily briefing: Genomes shake up the shark family tree

"Making something silly doesn't take any less work than making something really technical,' says software developer and PhD candidate Mars Buttfield-Addison, reflecting on Doom's expansion into scientific applications where neurons grown on silicon chips now play the classic 1993 first-person shooter, part of a broader subculture porting the game to devices never intended for gaming."

"A genomic study of dozens of species and their close relatives suggests that all sharks might not be part of the same biological group, contrary to what studies using more-limited genetic data have suggested. When researchers looked at some 'ultra-conserved' parts of the genome, they found that a peculiar family of sharks called Hexanchiformes might be part of an evolutionary lineage that is distinct from the group that includes all other sharks, as well as skates and rays."

The classic 1993 video game Doom has transcended entertainment to become a scientific phenomenon, with researchers teaching neurons grown on silicon chips to play it and developers porting the game to unconventional devices like satellites and pregnancy tests. Simultaneously, genomic research examining ultra-conserved genome regions suggests that traditional shark classification may be incomplete, with Hexanchiformes potentially representing a separate evolutionary lineage distinct from other sharks, skates, and rays. These findings highlight how accurate evolutionary family trees are essential for understanding the development of key biological traits. Additionally, the Trump administration is restructuring the US National Center for Atmospheric Research, with various institutions and private companies bidding for its components, including space-weather forecasting firm Lynker's proposal for the High Altitude Observatory.

Read at Nature