Rat Genome Is Almost Completely Mapped
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Scientists have published nearly the entire genome of the common rat, making it possible to compare it with the genetic maps of people and mice.
The genome of the brown Norway rat -- which thrives everywhere from subways to cornfields -- is 5% smaller in volume than its human equivalent and slightly larger than that of the mouse. About 90% of its estimated 25,000 to 30,000 genes have counterparts in humans and mice. The research appeared in the current issue of the journal Nature.
