Seeking Common Language in a Tower of Babel

Abstract

With gene sequences by the thousands pouring into databases, efforts are revving up to figure out what all those genes do—what proteins they make and how they fit into the workings of living things. Comparing genomic data from different organisms will be key to answering those questions. Already, researchers have found that organisms from microbes to the sequoia tree and whales to mushrooms have much more in common than was once appreciated, and those similarities are shedding light on the functions of unknown genes and their protein products.