The horse genome: Riding high
The DNA of the domesticated horse shows evolution at workTHE genomes of many mammals have now been completed, including the cow, the dog, the chimpanzee and, of course, the human. This week it was the turn of the horse to have its DNA sequence decoded. W... read article

Nanobiotechnology: Seeding the seeds
Carbon nanotubes find an unusual use as fertilisersMANURE, compost and ash were used as fertilisers for centuries before the 1800s, but people did not understand how they worked until the science of chemistry was developed in the 19th century and it beca... read article

The rise of epigenomics: Methylated spirits
The human genome gets more and more complicatedIT WAS, James Watson claimed, something even a monkey could do. Sequencing the human genome, that is. In truth, Dr Watson, co-discoverer of the double-helical structure of DNA back in the 1950s, had a point.... read article

The Nobel science prizes: Winning ways
Prizes for optical fibres, charge-coupled devices, ribosomes and telomeresHOW do you look through a window that is 100km thick? That, in essence, was the question facing Charles Kao in 1966. For working out the answer, Dr Kao has been awarded part of thi... read article