So-Called Junk DNA – Genetic “Dark Matter” – Is Actually Critical to Survival in Mammals
Knocking out transposon promoter leads to pup death in mice; similar promoters found in many mammals. Nearly half of our DNA has been written off…
Developmental Biology
Regenerating Cells That Propagate Heartbeats
Specialized cells that propagate heartbeats have the capacity to regenerate after birth, study by UT Southwestern scientists shows. Specialized cells that conduct electricity to keep…
New Research on Genetically Susceptible Mice Shows THC/Cannabis Causes Birth Defects
Cannabis, also known as weed or marijuana, is used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Although restricted in most countries, the increasing legalization of…
Trigger Identified for “Head-to-Tail” Axis Development in Human Embryo
The second week of gestation represents a critical stage of embryo development, or embryogenesis. Failure of development during this time is one of the major…
Biomolecular Bonsai: Controlling the Pruning and Strengthening of Neuron Branches in the Brain
Researchers identify molecular cues that make developing neurons remodel their connections. At this very moment, the billions of neurons in your brain are using their…
A Mother’s Age and Diet Influences Offspring Health – Shown in Research on Tropical Flies
The female tsetse fly, which gives birth to adult-sized live young, produce weaker offspring as they get older, and when they feed on poor quality…
How Information Beyond the Genetic Sequence Is Encoded in Plant Sperm and Passed Down the Generations
Hereditary information is passed from parent to offspring in the genetic code, DNA, and epigenetically through chemically induced modifications around the DNA. New research from…
A Fair Society Evolves From “Veil of Ignorance” – Mongooses Solve Inequality Problem
A fair society has evolved in banded mongooses because parents don’t know which pups are their own, new research shows. Mothers in banded mongoose groups…
Solving a Long-Standing Biological Mystery: How Cells Measure Themselves
Ever since scientists discovered cells under the microscope more than 350 years ago, they have noted that each type of cell has a characteristic size….
Coelacanths – Enormous Fish That Live Deep in the Ocean – May Live Nearly a Century
Coelacanths may live five times longer than researchers expected. Once thought to be extinct, lobe-finned coelacanths are enormous fish that live deep in the ocean….
Unlocking the Mysteries of Human Development: Key Molecular Events in the Developing Human Embryo Identified
Researchers Identify Trigger for “Head-to-Tail” Axis Development in Human Embryo Scientists have identified key molecular events in the developing human embryo between days 7 and…
Genetic Mutation Reveals Surprising Role of Bioelectricity in Early Brain Formation
A mutation in four children with polymicrogyria illuminates the role of bioelectricity in early brain development. In polymicrogyria, the cortex of the brain has many…
Japanese Rice Fish Model of a Rare Human Metabolic Disorder
Human cells are kept healthy by the activity of millions of proteins. These proteins are modified in different ways, such as by adding sugar molecules…
Embryos of Many Species Use Sound to Prepare for the Outside World – Hear Nile Crocodile Embryos Before Hatching
It’s well known that reptiles depend on temperature cues while in the egg to determine a hatchling’s sex. Now, researchers writing in the journal Trends in…
Rare Genetic Neurological Disease Caused by Mutations in Protein That Controls RNA Metabolism
In a paper published today in Nature Communications, an international group of collaborators led by researchers at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh have identified a…
Fascinating or Horrifying? Scientists Create Human-Monkey Chimeric Embryos
Investigators in China and the United States have injected human stem cells into primate embryos and were able to grow chimeric embryos for a significant…
Revolutionary Research: Scientists Create First Model of an Early Human Embryo From Skin Cells
For first time, fibroblast-derived model of early embryo will allow extensive study into causes of very early miscarriage and effects of toxins and drugs on…
Scientists Surprised by Sea Slugs That Sever Their Own Heads and Regrow Brand-New Bodies
You’ve heard of animals that can lose and then regenerate a tail or limb. But scientists reporting in the journal Current Biology today (March 8, 2021)…