Once the Burm genome is finished we will have a scaffold that will make the sequencing of a ball python genome a lot easier. Will it happen any time soon? Who knows. The question is what can we learn from it? With a solid question there is no point doing it. If it was just to determine the location of putative genes for morphs, then that is entirely non-fundable. I know I personally would not put any of my new lab startup into that project. Now, if it was to determine genes linked to parthenogenetic reproduction I would definitely put research effort and money in that direction, and most likely will be in the next two years. Its unlikely it will involve ball pythons however. More likely Boa constrictor, Agkistrodon contortrix, and Agkistrodon piscivorus.

Warren
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Dr Warren Booth / Director USARK
North Carolina State University
Department of Entomology

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