Similarities Between Acorn Worm and Vertebrate Brain
A new study shows that Saccoglossus kowalevskii, a sea dwelling, bottom-feeding acorn worm, has a similarities to humans although the worms are separated from vertebrates…
Genetics News
Scientists Discover New Type of Extra-Chromosomal DNA
Scientists from the University of Virginia and University of North Carolina have discovered a previously unidentified type of circular DNA molecule occurring outside the chromosomes…
3-D Image Shows How DNA Packs Itself into a “Fractal Globule”
A new imaging technique is giving scientists their first three-dimensional view of the human genome and how DNA is packed inside cells. Research has shown…
Examining the Mechanism Behind Melanoma Drug Resistance
Zelboraf, which targets the mutated BRAF gene, is used to treat melanoma, but it isn’t always successful due to melanoma’s ability to sometimes get around…
Iceman Ötzi’s DNA Reveals Health Risks and Relations
Ötzi’s DNA has finally been sequenced. An international team published the almost complete DNA of the Iceman Ötzi from the Tyrolean Alps in the journal…
Pikaia Gracilens Revealed as Possible Genetic Ancestors to All Vertebrates
The Middle Cambrian Pikaia gracilens, from 505 million years ago, was a fish-like worm, which has the possible dubious distinction of being one of humanity’s…
“Area X” of Zebra Finch May Provide Insights to Human Speech Disorders
The male zebra finch has some 2,000 genes in a region of the brain known as “Area X” that are significantly linked to singing and…
Unlocking Chemical Pathways to Synthesize Chemicals Found in Nature
A new study could enable scientists to synthesize many important chemicals currently found only in nature. The research shows how scientists used powerful X-rays to…
Tyrosine Phosphatase SHP2 and Breast Cancer
A new study identified the protein phosphatase SHP2 as an important player in the signaling cascades governing tumor-initiating cells. The scientists found that SHP2 plays…
Researchers Induce Magnetism to a Non-Magnetic Organism
To better understand the underlying biology of induced magnetization, researchers from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School…
Rare Example of Bacterial Gene Transfer Providing Evolutionary Benefit
A bacterial gene that has been discovered in the genome of the coffee berry borer beetle (Hypothenemus hampei) allows it to occupy a unique ecological…
Researchers Find that Popdc Proteins Help the Heart Adapt to Stress
A new study by scientists at Imperial College London, the University of Birmingham, and the University of Würzburg in Germany examined Popeye domain containing proteins…
Human Y-Chromosome Has Enough Genes to Stay for Millions of Years
The male-sex determining Y chromosome is here to stay, having lost only one gene in the last 25 million years, a new study of human…
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Diseases
Out of the 750,000 different species of insects covering Earth, there are about 14,000 that feed on blood, getting their sustenance by puncturing the skin…
Researchers Study Regulatory Gene’s Role in Sperm Quality Control
Researchers at Yale University have discovered how the regulatory gene, p53, oversees quality control in the production of sperm and possibly other cells with damaged…
Mutations in TTN Gene Cause Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)
The use of modern DNA sequencing platforms has helped researchers find a genetic explanation for idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Researchers at Harvard Medical School found…
Researchers Discover that Prions Play Role in Yeast Survival and Evolution
While testing wild strains of yeast containing prions, researchers at MIT discovered that prions awaken dormant stretches of genes that can help the yeast survive…
Researcher Studies Root Growth to Develop Hardier, Weather-resistant Crops
Researcher Edgar Spalding from the University of Wisconsin-Madison is trying to figure out how to grow crops optimally suited to survive and thrive in all…