Indels, Duplications, Disease, and Speciation

Here are three interesting items that I don't plan on blogging, but are worth linking to:

• Here is a news release on indel variation in humans. SNPs are so 20th century. Deletions, duplications, and insertions are the molecular polymorphisms of the future.

• Speaking of deletions and duplications, Nobel Intent has a good review of three articles (available here, here, and here) that deal with structural polymorphism and disease on human chromosome 17. Interestingly, the same region examined the three papers harbors an inversion that may confer a fitness benefit.

• Finally, totally unrelated to the previous two items but interesting nonetheless, Robert Skipper has a review of Hope Hollocher's review of Coyne and Orr's Speciation. Everyone seems to find problems with the book (mostly with Coyne and Orr's logic rather than their research), but the book is a grand achievement in the accumulation of knowledge. Even if you disagree with their thesis, you still must acknowledge that Coyne and Orr have put together the most comprehensive collection of literature to date on the subject of speciation.