The molecular machines that copy DNA in a living cell are fast and accurate at pairing up the correct bases – G with C and A with T – into each new double helix. They work by recognizing the shape of the right base pair combinations, and discarding those – such as a G and […]
Scientists believe that the appearance of a partial, duplicate copy of a gene, occurring around the time that the Australopithecus and the Homo lineages separated, was responsible for the sudden increase in brain complexity that led to language and modern humankind. Writing about their findings in Cell, the researchers say the momentous gene duplication event […]
After an unprecedented recommendation by a government review panel to block publication, a study that shows how the avian H5N1 influenza virus could become transmissible in mammals was published in full today in the journal Nature. In December 2011, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity recommended redacting critical information from the study. The unprecedented […]
Imagine how debilitating and awkward it would be if you could not differentiate faces in a crowd. It sounds like a nightmare, but this is the reality that sufferers of prosopagnosia (PA) – otherwise known as face blindness – have to contend with everyday. The condition can be caused by a brain injury, but studies […]
