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Advances in DNA sequencing technology during the past decade have given scientists powerful tools to peer into the genomes of humans and other species. Despite the efficiency and sophistication of these technologies – known as massively parallel, or next-generation, sequencers – some of the genome’s secrets still remain hidden.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are among the most heritable of all neuropsychiatric conditions. Yet, most genetic links to ASD found in recent years have involved de novo mutations, which are not passed from parent to child, but instead arise spontaneously. While these mutations help explain how ASD develops in a fraction of cases, they don’t help us understand why autism so often runs in families.

Dogs and wolves are closely related, but their differences define them. Unlike its wild relations, a dog can read a person’s face and tone of voice, and it is curious, social, and unafraid around humans. New genetic research highlights the importance of another crucial but subtler distinction between the two species: while wolves are exclusively carnivores, dogs can digest starches. This evolutionary change may be one of the critical steps that brought dogs out of the wilderness and into our homes.

The ӳý today announced that renowned business leader Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. will become the next chairman of the ӳý’s Board of Directors. Mr. Gerstner served as CEO and chairman of the board of IBM Corporation from 1993 to 2002. He is widely recognized as the chief architect of the company’s transformation, reinventing both its organization and its culture.

Mr. Gerstner succeeds outgoing ӳý chair Diana Chapman Walsh, who will continue to serve on the board, assuming the role of vice chair.