From Deseret News archives:
Leaves fall from 'Tree of Life'
Rapid extinction of species hinders Y. effort to fill in vital genetic data
Keith Crandall, a professor at Brigham Young University, is among those who hope their work will someday find a hidden link between creatures that could lead to a cure for cancer.
The BYU biologist has already attracted attention in that quest. Friday will mark the second time an article he has written will appear in the prestigious magazine Science. The article is an assessment of advances made in the field of biological systematics, the study of how earth's organisms are connected.
"It's basically organismal genealogy," Crandall said. "That's what we're doing, finding out how all of these plants and organisms are related to each other."
Crandall's article provides a perspective on using super computers to find information that connects all living organisms into one great "Tree of Life." Scientists across the world study aspects of the "Tree of Life" and submit genetic codes into a giant database, Gen Bank, which is accessible on the Web.
"But other people think all you need is sketchy information, and from that, you can derive a very interesting picture of organismal evolution," Whiting said.
The ability to use the database to create a probable picture of the "Tree of Life" is something that encourages Whiting and Crandall. Whiting said powerful things can be done with the data already collected, even with the limitations imposed on completing many of vast number of genetic characterizations.
The impacts from the work being done on the "Tree of Life" range from being able to better determine areas in need of conservation efforts to finding cures for diseases that are genetically linked within species in the system.
The biggest problem facing biologists working on the project, according to Crandall and Whiting, is completing work while facing the ongoing and rapid extinction of many species. Whiting said valuable information is being lost because the rate of extinction is outpacing the ability of biologists to complete characterizations for many species.
"If you can get these deep relationships by exploring these computational aspects, you could get more information on those leaves (of the 'Tree of Life'), which are dropping," Crandall said. "Species are going extinct at a very high rate. If we don't get out there and identify a lot of these species soon, we're going to miss a lot of them."
E-mail: achoate@desnews.com
Comments
- Jazz game at a glance 11:07 p.m.
- Saints march toward NFL history 10:52 p.m.
- World datelines 10:51 p.m.
- Brewer logs 42 minutes in win 10:51 p.m.
- Police seek 2 men after vehicle theft 10:44 p.m.
- 2 arrested in robbery, road-rage flap 10:43 p.m.
- Sports briefs 10:43 p.m.
- Deane enjoying time at Oregon St. 10:29 p.m.
- Man arrested in screwdriver attack 10:29 p.m.
- Police suspect same man in thefts 10:28 p.m.
- Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal
- Y. student vanished in China
- Max Hall issues apology
- Utes won't respond to Hall
- Hall reprimanded by MWC
- Cougs begin bowl preparations
- Boy shot following traffic stop
- Mitchell called intelligent, controlling
- Matthews passes new Jazz tests
- U. eyes bowl for redemption
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
898 - Cougars beat Utes in overtime
481 - Max Hall issues apology
378 - Hall reprimanded by MWC
370 - Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal
312 - Utes won't respond to Hall
256 - BYU is champion of the state
140 - Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
121 - Cave to be sealed with body inside
119 - Religion in politics is tiresome
110
Live 'Twittologue' Dec. 2, 4:00 p.m. with Jason Chaffetz. Click for more.
I wanted to tell them not to go. I dropped subtle hints. "My money is on...
When I was a kid, I worshipped my grandpa. He was undoubtedly my hero....
Is the fact that it reveals the character of so many. Hall even apologized...
If they really wanted to keep everyone happy, they could just seal off the...
I echo this should not be the end. "Hall's comments ARE only a symptom of a...
watch DELGADO #22 do work on you guys!!! THE KID IS AMAZING !! BEST LUCK TO...
Provo wins 4-A again.
I went to BYU and it embarrasses me that TCU, who beat the tar out of both...
Because AI has proven he's still a dominant force in this league with how he...
Brad Rock, you nailed it on the head. As media members, you love Hall's...
There are only 120,000 Notre Dame alumni in the world, with less than 2,500...
Max Hall stated he made those comments because of things that were...



You can be the first to comment on this story.