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Thirteen years of sequencing microscopic base pairs of Homo sapiens’ DNA is an elaborate and extensive analysis of a single species. However valuable it is, the Human Genome Project is one example of today’s narrow concentration on human studies. It makes sense that in our society, human welfare is the primary focus. But, on our doorstep lay a billion questions of the myriad species with whom we coexist: some with a more complex genetic make-up and some simpler than ours. In any case, our knowledge of the world outside our own species is like the size of one star in the galaxy. With endless amounts more to discover, the exploration of this horizon is too tantalizing to resist for Dr. Oliver Ryder, head of the Genetics Division at the San Diego Zoo’s Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES).

Whether it’s generating a pedigree of baboons for field biologists or cloning a banteng to support their Species Survival Plan, the applications of genetic research varies tremendously. At CRES, one unifying factor of the Genetics Division is the Frozen Zoo. Collected from the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, and various other locations, cell samples of hundreds of species stored in liquid-nitrogen cooled canisters serve as a bank of mostly undiscovered knowledge. Dr. Ryder’s delicate care and reverence for the Frozen Zoo reflects the valuable and potential impacts this resource has on the field of nonhuman genetics.

The goal of genetics at CRES is not just to learn what base pair follows the next in the DNA chain of an organism. Instead, by sequencing several organisms, correlations can be made and a greater understanding of the definition of a species can be used to help preserve it. Locating genes that code for a particular genetic disorder in humans can sometimes be transferred to related species. For example, due to the close evolutionary relationship between humans and bonobos, scientists like Dr. Ryder may be able to determine whether or not a particular bonobo in the collection has the same genetic disorder. This information can lead to a treatment for the individual bonobo and its important exclusion from breeding programs to prevent the spread of genetic disorders in future generations.

Geneticists like Dr. Ryder reveal huge findings from microscopic information that extends out to enhance many other fields of study. This ripple effect even rolls back to humans: by sequencing the DNA of other species, varying in relation to our own genetic makeup, we have the opportunity to discover more about ourselves and our evolutionary role on planet Earth. I expect discoveries made by geneticists around the world, especially at CRES, to take the world for a plunge into a pool of answers and, of course, many more questions to come.

Natalie, The Real World Team

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