NEW CASTLE —
When it comes to holiday decorations, it’s hard to beat a brightly colored Christmas tree.
There’s something about a decorated evergreen tree that’s sure to bring special cheer to the season. At night, driving through residential areas, trees in the windows are always welcome sights.
Christmas trees — at least the real ones — are essentially conifers of different varieties. Typically, they are fir trees, short-needled varieties that allow the decorations to shine through. And many trees are bred to allow the green needles to last throughout the Christmas season.
But when certain people look at evergreen trees, they see something in addition to a symbol of life and festive times. They see complex genetics.
It turns out that conifers have what’s considered a massive genetic code. Every living thing on Earth is composed of genes, but there are obvious differences.
Human beings are the dominant species on Earth, and have about 23,000 genes. It’s estimated conifers have about the same amount, but their functioning genes also come with considerably more DNA material that seems to have no purpose. And mapping all of it becomes a complicated task.
Why so much information in the genome of evergreens? One likely reason is their age in evolutionary terms. Humans have been on the planet a few million years. The history of conifers goes back about a billion. It seems you pick up a lot of genetic baggage over that time.
For genetic researchers, weeding through all of this material is a daunting process. However, recent advances make it easier to process and analyze DNA material. In human medicine, these technological gains are expected to allow every individual to have his or her specific genetic code mapped. In theory, this will allow medical personnel to assess certain health risks and the likelihood a given individual could develop a particular disease.
The mapping of a genome for assorted conifers also has something to do with health — the health of trees and forests. The goal here involves identifying which trees have the best disease resistance, and which ones might be most capable of adapting to climate change.
Toward this end, The Associated Press reported recently that researchers in the United States and Canada, as well as in Sweden, have made advances in mapping the genetic sequences of assorted conifers. But while they are far from a final cataloging of genes — that task may require additional technological breakthroughs — it’s believed the information being revealed now will assist foresters and other growers of evergreens.
In short, genetic mapping may not be able to guarantee a white Christmas, but it should help to ensure there will be evergreens around regardless of the weather.
Editorials
Our Opinion: Genetic mapping of conifers may help strengthen species
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Our Opinion: Lousy voter turnout is a missed opportunity
Tuesday’s primary in Lawrence County had its share of winners and losers. But — based on the numbers — the biggest winner has to be voter apathy. Countywide, voter turnout in the primary was a whopping 17.1 percent. In case you missed it, our use of the term “whopping” is sarcasm.
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Our Opinion: Pennsylvania’s primary system is controlled by parties
Should Pennsylvania’s primaries be open to independent voters? That’s an interesting question and one we have explored in the past on this page.
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Our Opinion: State audit says city school district failed to collect from non-residents
Audit information about non-resident students who didn’t pay tuition at New Castle raises more questions than it answers. At least so far. We expect more details when the Pennsylvania auditor general’s office completes its report and the New Castle school district provides its response.
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Our Opinion: Make the most of your power to vote by casting ballot tomorrow
So what kind of turnout will there be for tomorrow’s primary? Recent history suggests somewhere between low and lousy. This year’s elections are devoted to local races, and there are few major ones being contested in the primary.
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Our Opinion: Privatization of county jail is worthy of examination
Generally speaking, we support government efforts to seek more efficient ways to provide essential services. So we have no problem with the decision by the Lawrence County commissioners to solicit proposals for the private operation of the county jail.
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Our Opinion: We endorse candidates for New Castle board
The New Castle school district is often a study in contrasts. There are complaints about the district on everything from taxes to nepotism, from test scores to ethical slights. Yet at the same time, plenty of students within the district excel. It’s a tribute to the hard work of those students, their families and the educators who support them.
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Our Opinion: You should be frightened, outraged by IRS abuse of power
When people talk about government posing a threat to citizens, a common topic these days is unmanned drones. But a more credible threat may be the Internal Revenue Service. This agency, responsible for collecting taxes and enforcing related rules, has the ability to make life miserable for the average individual.
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Our Opinion: Our endorsements for City Council race
The city of New Castle needs help. Financially distressed and operating under Pennsylvania’s Act 47, New Castle must find ways to reverse its population loss and fiscal challenges.
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Our Opinion: Court frowns on gerrymandering, but only slightly
Pennsylvania legislators have received the green light to put their own political interests ahead of yours. That’s a key point in the latest Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling on legislative apportionment in the commonwealth.
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Our Opinion: Study says distracted driving deaths are under reported
Suppose you operated a piece of heavy machinery at your job. And suppose it’s machinery that moves quickly with little effort. What would happen if you decided to take one hand off that equipment — while it was still in motion — and instead focused your attention on a telephone call?
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