For all of October, we at Nature Genetics have been admiring the lovely cabbages on our cover. The image, created by photographer Keyong Chang, was contributed by the authors of the study on page 1218 of the issue. Read more
This month’s cover image is inspired by the paper on page 947 reporting the reference genome sequence of the black snub-nosed monkey, the second snub-nosed monkey genome paper published in Nature Genetics. The golden snub-nosed monkey genome was published in 2014. Read more
This month’s cover features the inspiring block-like karst mountains of the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo in Guangxi province. The image was inspired by a study in this month’s issue reporting deep sequencing of the MHC region in individuals of Han Chinese ancestry. The study represents an important resource for the study of immune-related disorders in Asian populations. It also identifies loci associated with risk of psoriasis, thus demonstrating the power of this resource. Read more
As June comes to a close, it’s time to look back at our June issue and ask “what’s going on here?” with the cover image. As you may have guessed, the image is related to the publication of the carrot genome sequence in this month’s issue. Read more
This month’s cover image is inspired by the Article on p. 528 of this issue, by Jeff Wall, Nicola Illing, Nadav Ahituv and colleagues. The paper reports the genome of the bat Miniopterus natalensis and transcriptional dynamics in the developing bat wing. This species, one of a group known as vesper bats, is also known as the Natal long-fingered bat and is found in parts of Africa. Read more
This month’s cover image is a visual tribute to the peanut and its importance to both the ancient civilizations of the Americas and modern agriculture. The genome sequences of the two progenitor species to the cultivated peanut were published in this month’s issue by David Bertioli and colleagues. The genome sequences are the first step to characterizing the genome of cultivated peanut, which was formed by the hybridization of these two species thousands of years ago. The genome sequences give us valuable clues about the evolution of these species. The authors also identified candidate genes for pest resistance, which could lead to advances in peanut cultivation in the future. Read more
Today is national DNA day, celebrating the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 and the publication of the proposed structure of DNA in 1953 by James Watson and Francis Crick (PDF here). Read more
March is already winding to a close, but we wanted to take a quick break to answer that most burning of all questions: what is going on with our cover this month? Read more
This month, our cover portrays a trifecta of pollinators and the different flowers from which they feed. Centrally, you see a hawkmoth (left) and a hummingbird (right), with a bee watching the proceedings from above. They are very different organisms and all three pollinate different species of Petunia. The color, scent and morphology of the flowers all contribute to attracting the respective pollinators. The evolution of various floral traits dictates pollinator preference, leading to diversity and speciation of the plants. Read more