 Genetics
3 February 2012
Gender behaviors directly manipulated
Uncovering the individual genes that are directly influenced by testosterone and estrogen has allowed scientists to manipulate individual behaviors in mice, such as sex drive, desire to pick fights, or willingness to spend extra time caring for their young...
12 October 2011
Immune system ruse nixes peanut allergy
For the first time, US researchers have turned off a life-threatening allergic response to peanuts by tricking the immune system into thinking the nut proteins aren't a threat to the body...
19 September 2011
"It's not all in the genes," confirm epigenetic code-breakers
"Genes are not destiny," say the scientists who have been delving into the epigenetic code that allows organisms to develop and pass down new biological traits far more rapidly than via DNA genetic coding...
31 May 2011
Studies slam DIY genetic tests
The direct-to-consumer genetic tests offered by deCODEme and 23andMe give inaccurate predictions of disease risks and regulatory authorities should consider banning them, say the geneticists behind two studies that examined test predictions in relation to a number of disease risks...
21 March 2011
Potent anti-aging mechanism identified
How well the integrity of our DNA is maintained is a critical factor in determining how our bodies age. Now, scientists say they have identified an "elite" natural repair mechanism that is rarely used but can greatly enhance the body’s preservation of genetic information...
2 February 2011
Breeder or worker? Scientists search for the genes that drive societies
In order understand the evolution of complex societies; researchers are sequencing the genomes of social insects to decipher which genes might be responsible for the division of labor and reproduction, two crucial characteristics that are important to the evolution of social structure...
17 January 2011
Colored light used to control brains of GM animals
Optogenetics researchers have achieved unparalleled control over the brain circuits in laboratory animals by exciting and inhibiting their genetically modified mechano-sensory and locomotion neurons with colored light...
22 December 2010
Genetic trait triples odds of cocaine abuse
Twenty-percent of Caucasians appear to carry a genetic variant that substantially increases their odds of being susceptible to severe cocaine abuse leading to fatal overdosing...
3 December 2010
Strumpet gene writes infidelity into DNA
Individuals with a certain genetic variant are more likely to have a history of uncommitted sex, including one-night stands and acts of infidelity, say US researchers...
23 November 2010
New test estimates age from blood sample
Using measures of T cell diversity, scientists from the Netherlands have devised a test that estimates the age of crime suspects or missing persons from blood collected at the scene of a crime...
4 October 2010
New evidence that ADHD is genetic
Genetic analysis of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) revealed they were more likely to have small segments of their DNA duplicated or missing, lending new weight to the unfashionable theory that ADHD is a brain disorder with genetic links...
20 September 2010
Scientists uncover Homer Simpson gene
Deleting a certain gene in mice (one that is also found in humans) makes them smarter, but the Emory University researchers who discovered the "Homer Simpson gene" are cautious about its potential to enhance cognition in humans, saying that very little is known about the mysterious region of the brain the gene is linked to...
21 May 2010
Synthetic genome successfully transplanted into cell
Scientists have created the first cell controlled by a synthetic genome, a feat that will allow researchers to probe the basic machinery of life and to engineer custom-designed bacteria...
15 March 2010
Opium poppy gives up its genetic secrets
Using advanced genomics techniques to probe the structure of the opium poppy, Canadian researchers have identified a gene called codeine O-dementhylase, a discovery that they say will open the door to creating micro-organisms that can produce custom-designed painkillers...
23 February 2010
Scientists create tiny RNA molecule with big implications
An extremely small RNA molecule created by University of Colorado scientists can catalyze a key reaction needed to synthesize proteins, lending more weight to the theory that all life on Earth evolved from primitive forms of RNA...
10 February 2010
Worm DNA preserved in tequila
Not swallowing the worm at the bottom of a bottle of mescal doesn't mean you'll avoid worminess, say scientists who have discovered that the mescal, far from destroying the DNA of the agave butterfly caterpillar, actually leeches it out of the worm and preserves it...
8 February 2010
Ability to navigate may be linked to genes
Human, animals and even fish routinely reorient themselves using landmarks and mentally visualizing the geometry of their surroundings. Now, according to new research, it appears there may also be a genetic component that plays a part in our ability to navigate the world...
29 October 2009
Bad driving may be genetic
Scientists have found that people with a particular gene variant performed more than 20 percent worse on a driving test than people without it. Disturbingly, about 30 percent of the population has the variant...
11 September 2009
Y chromosome not such a dud
It was believed that the X and Y chromosomes - that define the sexes - did not communicate at all, but UK researchers have shown that exchanges of DNA do occur between the X and Y...
4 August 2009
Unique DNA signature discovered in sperm
Scientists have found that sperm carry a DNA signature that can only be recognized by an egg from the same species, explaining why some otherwise healthy men produce sperm that is sterile, and also clarifying how different species evolve and retain their own identity...
25 June 2009
Cost of genotyping plunges thanks to Sudoku logic
Sudoku, the math-based game that took the world by storm, may now be poised to revolutionize the fast-changing world of genome sequencing and the field of medical genetics...
17 April 2009
New nucleotide could revolutionize field of epigenetics
The identification of a sixth nucleotide in the mammalian DNA code suggests a previously unknown layer of complexity exists between our basic genetic blueprints and the creatures that we grow into...
8 April 2009
A genetic basis for love at first sight
A multinational team of researchers has discovered that at the genetic level, some males and females are more compatible than others, and that this compatibility plays important roles in mate selection and mating outcomes...
25 March 2009
Redefining DNA's structure for fun and profit
In a bold rewrite of the recipe for life, scientists have designed a new type of DNA with 12 chemical letters instead of the usual four. This artificial genetic system is already helping to usher in the era of personalized medicine for millions of patients with HIV, hepatitis and other diseases and may one day help produce a self-sustaining molecule capable of Darwinian evolution and reproduction...
12 February 2009
Chromosome study challenges infidelity dogma
Our surnames and genetic information are often strongly connected, according to the authors of a new study that directly challenges the often quoted one-in-ten figure for children born through infidelity...
2 February 2009
Newly discovered non-coding genes control critical disease processes
Researchers have discovered a vast new class of previously unrecognized mammalian genes that do not encode proteins, but instead function as long RNA molecules that play critical roles in both health and disease, including cancer, immune signaling and stem cell biology...
27 January 2009
Biologists mull rapid, non-adaptive gene mutations
New research suggests that in addition to natural selection, biased gene conversion (a non-adaptive evolutionary process) appears to have made a significant contribution to human evolution...
12 January 2009
Knocking on the door of life: self-replicating RNA synthesized
For the first time, scientists have synthesized RNA enzymes that can replicate themselves indefinitely without the help of any proteins or other cellular components...
1 December 2008
New epigenetic mechanism identified
Scientists have uncovered an entirely new way in which heredity can be transmitted, effectively doubling the number of mechanisms by which epigenetic information is known to be inherited...
7 November 2008
Social interactions alter gene expression
Our DNA determines a lot about who we are and how we relate to others, but recent animal studies show that the interaction between genes and behavior is more of a two-way street than most of us realize...
5 November 2008
"Junk" DNA anything but, new study finds
The Genome Institute of Singapore reports that what was previously believed to be "junk" DNA is in fact a vital component that distinguishes humans from other species...
9 October 2008
DNA surname profiling mooted in UK
British researchers say there is a strong link between a person's surname and their Y chromosome type, suggesting that surname prediction from DNA alone may be feasible for forensic scientists in the future...
18 September 2008
Grants to spur search for more robust crops
Climate change is having the most negative impact in the poorest regions of the world, already causing a decrease in yields of most major food crops due to droughts, floods, increasingly salty soils and higher temperatures. Now, the Global Crop Diversity Trust is undertaking a major effort to search seed collections for the traits that could arm agriculture against the impact of future changes...
3 September 2008
Herpes virus transferred to infants via parental DNA
Parents expect to pass on their eye color or their big feet to their children through their genes but they don't expect to pass on viruses through those same genes...
18 July 2008
Scientists Probe Ancient "RNA World"
Proteins carry out almost all of life's cellular functions today, but bacteria sometimes depend instead upon ancient forms of RNA, once viewed merely as the chemical intermediaries between DNA's instruction manual and the creation of proteins...
17 July 2008
African Ancestry Increases HIV Risk
A genetic variation which evolved to protect people of African descent against malaria has now been shown to increase their susceptibility to HIV infection by up to 40 percent...
2 July 2008
Political Participation Flagged In Genes
A new study from the University of California, San Diego, shows that genes influence participation in elections and a wide range of political activities...
30 May 2008
"Massive" Horizontal Gene Transfer In Animal Kingdom Revealed
Evidence for massive horizontal gene transfer - from bacteria, fungi, and even from plants - has been found in the genome of the tiny swimming critter known as the bdelloid rotifer...
23 April 2008
Zeroing-In On Epigenetic Inheritance Mechanism
US reseachers say they now understand how "silent" heterochromatin (tightly packed clumps of DNA where the genes are effectively turned off) can be transcribed into interfering RNA and inherited across generations...
11 April 2008
Spit-Swap Forces Changes To DNA Testing
Protocols for DNA testing are being revised after a man attempted to foil a DNA paternity test by placing another man's saliva in his mouth...
9 April 2008
Evolution Leaves "Fingerprint" Across Human Genome
Turning genetic information into proteins leaves genetic fingerprints, even on regions of the DNA that are not involved in coding for the final protein...
25 March 2008
Doctors Outline Policy To Prevent Genetic Discrimination
The American College of Physicians has released a policy document which they believe should be integral to new laws to protect against genetic discrimination in employment and insurance...
19 February 2008
"Language" Gene Pooh-Poohed
The evolution of human speech was far more complex than is implied by some recent attempts to link it to a specific gene, says an MIT Prof...
8 February 2008
GM Cotton Gets First Resistant Pest
Bollworm are the first pests to evolve resistance in the field to plants modified to produce an insecticide called Bt...
26 November 2007
Self-Assembling DNA Chunks Point To Life's Beginnings
The discovery of tiny chunks of DNA that assemble into liquid crystals that "self-orient" points to a plausible scenario for the emergence of life on Earth...
8 November 2007
Genome Analysis Left Wanting
The sequencing and comparison of 12 fruit fly genomes has revealed considerable flaws in the way scientists identify genes...
18 October 2007
X Chromosome The Evolutionary Smoking Gun
New research contends that the X chromosome is heavily influential in the process of speciation — and the reason may be nothing like what biologists expected...
31 August 2007
Horizontal Gene Transfer Vastly Underestimated, Suggests New Study
The movement of genes between unrelated species may happen much more frequently than previously believed, allowing species to acquire new genes and functions extremely quickly...
27 July 2007
Biologists Create Gene "Dimmer Switch"
A tunable genetic switch based on RNAi and repressor proteins can be used to turn on, shut off, or partially activate a gene's function...
11 July 2007
Chernobyl Radiation Affecting The Brightest Of The Bunch
Birds with brightly colored plumage are among the species most adversely affected by the high levels of radiation around the Chernobyl nuclear plant, ecologists have discovered...
19 June 2007
Human Genome "Far More Complex Than Anyone Imagined," Laments Prof
Genetics boffins have called for a reality-check on proposed gee-whiz gene therapies, after the discovery of a vast swathe of unknown protein coding that goes on beyond the boundaries of the documented genome...
29 May 2007
The Cow That Laid The Golden Lactose
Biotech researchers screening milk samples from New Zealand cattle have found that some cows naturally produce skim milk, a discovery that could revolutionize the dairy food industry...
2 April 2007
Fungicide Causing Unusual Epigenetic Changes In Rats
Unusual inherited changes caused by a common fruit fungicide (Vinclozolin) are dramatically affecting the mating behavior of rats...
30 March 2007
Metagenomics: The More The Merrier
Metagenomics, a new holistic technique to analyze vast swathes of microbial DNA, may make it possible to view ecosystems themselves as biological units with their own genetic repertoires, and to sidestep completely the consideration of individual species...
24 November 2006
Wild Wheat Gene Puts A Rocket Under Crop Protein Levels
A new agricultural revolution could be in the offing as plant scientists use a gene from a wild variety of wheat to ramp-up protein and nutrient levels in commercial wheat crops...
4 October 2006
Biochemists Mull Alternative DNA Structures
Scientists are trying to establish how nature arrived at DNA's simple and elegant structure by making alternative DNA forms...
8 August 2006
DNA Structure Still Surprises
Biological dogma has long held that as a molecule of DNA is stretched, its double helix starts to unwind; but now, researchers have shown that this is, in fact, not the case...
21 July 2006
Universal DNA Switch Shakes Up Biology
The startling discovery that all forms of life on Earth use the very same mechanism to initiate a cell's division into twin daughter cells has caused somewhat of a commotion among biologists. It may not sound like much to the layman, but the discovery casts doubt on a number of long-standing and cherished biological models. But rather than it being a crisis in biology, it simply shows how science - in an era that some have dubbed the dawn of a “scientific dark age” - remains as vital and dynamic as ever...
17 July 2006
Protein Complex Fixes Knotty DNA Problem
Researchers have discovered how genetic information remains intact as cells divide, which may provide a greater understanding of what goes wrong when cancer occurs...
15 July 2005
Do We Really Understand Gene Transfer?
The ‘tree of life’ visualization used to illustrate gene transfer between organisms has been a mainstay of scientific orthodoxy for years, but new research has turned that dogma on its head by observing that gene transfers occur not only vertically, from one organism to its progeny, but also horizontally through the exchange of genetic material between distantly related organisms...
25 May 2006
Giant Cassava Plants Could Feed Africa
A genetically modified cassava plant more than twice as big as normal cassava roots could play a significant role in addressing food shortages in Africa...
25 April 2006
Focus Of Genetic Research Narrowed
A new way of determining proof of natural selection at the single gene level could replace what is known as the standard neutral model, which many scientists say is less than ideal...
13 February 2006
When DNA Turns On Itself
When DNA twists in the opposite direction to its familiar right hand spiral, it becomes what researchers have dubbed Z-DNA, a catalyst for cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma...
24 January 2006
More Evidence Of Our Close Relationship With Chimps
The theory that humans and chimpanzees may be more closely related to each other than chimps are to the other two species of great apes – gorillas and orangutans – has just become even more compelling...
5 September 2005
Junk RNA Begins To Yield Its Secrets
Two new research papers have shed some light on the mysteries behind non-coding RNA molecules. While these “junk” molecules don’t play a role in creating proteins, they do appear to play significant roles in the function of cells...
24 August 2005
GM Bacteria Making Plastics
The effects of dwindling fossil fuel reserves won’t only be felt at the gas pump. Key ingredients for making plastic come from oil, and researchers are looking at how alternatives like genetically modified E. coli could manufacture some of these chemicals...
10 August 2005
DNA Error Tolerance Points To Life's Warm Beginnings
Researchers investigating why the language of our genes is more complex than it would seemingly need to be, say their findings point to life beginning in a hot primordial soup...
15 July 2005
Do We Really Understand Gene Transfer?
The ‘tree of life’ visualization used to illustrate gene transfer between organisms has been a mainstay of scientific orthodoxy for years, but new research has turned that dogma on its head by observing that gene transfers occur not only vertically, from one organism to its progeny, but also horizontally through the exchange of genetic material between distantly related organisms...
20 December 2004
Synthetic DNA Set For Data Processing
Researchers have constructed a synthetic DNA "scaffolding" that they say has the potential to self-assemble data processing components 1,000 times as densely as those produced conventionally...
18 August 2004
New Bayesian Technique Helps Unravel DNA Mutations
A new mathematical approach for analyzing the patterns of natural mutation in DNA will help biologists understand how mutation contributes to evolutionary change...
28 June 2004
New Method For Introducing Transgenic Material
Reproductive scientists have succeeded in producing the first animal offspring with transgenic material carried directly from sperm stem cells "infected" with a retrovirus...
28 May 2004
New Findings On Ribosome Function A Surprise
Oops, researchers say that four critical components of cells' protein-building machinery don't do what scientists had long assumed...
Related:
Animal Kingdom
Biology
Environment
Evolution
Humans
Mind/Brain
Prehistory
| 
