Genome of Steller"s sea cow decoded
During the Ice Age, giant mammals such as mammoths, saber-toothed cats and wooly rhinoceroses once roamed Northern Europe and America. The cold oceans of the northern hemisphere were also home to giants like Steller's sea cow, which grew up to eight.....»»
Computational model estimates lifespan of any fish species using only its genome sequence
If a fishery manager could only know one thing about a fish species, it should be lifespan. But many species live out their lives on time scales much longer than we can observe. And even the short-lived species do a good job of hiding in the sea......»»
Researchers introduce valuable traits in plants without creating transgenic plants
Academic researchers and companies in the agricultural biotechnology sector will be able to use a patent-pending Purdue University biology innovation to introduce valuable traits to plants without integrating novel DNA into a plant's genome......»»
Large-scale long terminal repeat insertions found to produce a significant set of novel transcripts in cotton
TEs (transposable elements), especially LTRs, are known to play an important role in determining the basic genome structure and influencing the expression of functional genes. Insertion of TE or LTR fragments may also create novel transcription start.....»»
A guide through the genome of crops
Plants show enormous variety in traits relevant to breeding, such as plant height, yield and resistance to pests. One of the greatest challenges in modern plant research is to identify the differences in genetic information that are responsible for t.....»»
Researchers uncover the hidden complexity of the Montmorency tart cherry genome
Since Michigan is the nation's leading producer of tart cherries, Michigan State University researchers were searching for the genes associated with tart cherry trees that bloom later in the season to meet the needs of a changing climate. They starte.....»»
Genetic analysis of Indigenous Taiwanese peoples sheds light on Austronesian expansion
The Austronesian language family is one of the largest in the world, comprising more than 1,200 languages spoken from Madagascar to Hawaii. Dang Liu, Albert Min-Shan Ko and Mark Stoneking collected genome-wide data from 55 individuals from seven Taiw.....»»
Large-scale genetic modification method reveals the role and properties of duplicated genes in plants
For the first time, researchers from Tel Aviv University have developed a genome-scale technology that makes it possible to reveal the role of genes and traits in plants previously hidden by functional redundancy......»»
Scientists revive Stone Age molecules
Breakthroughs in ancient genome reconstruction and biotechnology are now revealing the rich molecular secrets of Paleolithic microorganisms. In a new study published in Science, a transdisciplinary team of researchers led by the Leibniz Institute for.....»»
Prevalence of transposable elements may provide clues to worldwide mammal biodiversity
An international scientific project that compares the genomes of 240 living species of mammals has identified transposable elements (TEs)—genes that can change their position within a genome, creating or reversing mutations and thus altering a cell.....»»
The Lifesaving Sled Dog Balto Had Genes unlike Those of Dog Breeds Today
The genome of the 1920s Siberian husky Balto suggests that greater genetic diversity and less inbreeding contribute to better health.....»»
New bean genome unveils potential to boost food security in drought-prone regions
An international team of researchers has fully sequenced the genome of a climate resilient bean that could bolster food security in drought-prone regions......»»
Genome of famed sled dog Balto reveals genetic adaptations of working dogs
The sled dog Balto has been celebrated in books and movies for his role in delivering desperately needed diphtheria antitoxin to Nome, Alaska, in 1925. Now, his DNA has enabled scientists to explore the genetics of 1920s sled dogs in Alaska and under.....»»
Study suggests catalyst for human brain evolution
More than a million years ago, large chunks of the human genome were rearranged—a chance event during egg or sperm formation that led to the deletion, duplication, or reversal of sections of DNA. Those structural variants, researchers have now disc.....»»
Genomes from 240 mammalian species reveal what makes the human genome unique
Over the past 100 million years, mammals have adapted to nearly every environment on Earth. Scientists with the Zoonomia Project have been cataloging the diversity in mammalian genomes by comparing DNA sequences from 240 species that exist today, fro.....»»
Information "deleted" from the human genome may be what made us human
What the human genome is lacking compared with the genomes of other primates might have been as crucial to the development of humankind as what has been added during our evolutionary history, according to a new study led by researchers at Yale and th.....»»
Scientists sequenced the genome of Balto, famous sled dog of 1925 “Serum Run”
Balto was just part Siberian husky and, contrary to popular legend, not part wolf. Enlarge / After Balto died in 1933, his taxidermy mount was put on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. (credit: Cleveland Museum o.....»»
New insights into the evolutionary phylogeny of the ciliate order Sessilida
Ciliated protists represent one of the most primitive lineages of eukaryotes, with nuclear dimorphism, a distinctive sexual process (conjugation), and extensive genome rearrangements. Sessilida, among diverse ciliate lineages, is the only group conta.....»»
Researchers develop new tools for precise large DNA insertions
Gao Caixia's group from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has developed a new genome editing technology that achieves efficient and precise targeted insertion of large DNA segments in plants......»»
The genome of the smallest baleen whale provides insight into evolution and tumor resistance
The pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata) is the smallest of all baleen whales although it can grow to six meters in length and weigh up to three tons. The species occurs circumpolar in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Hemisphere, and only a hand.....»»
Uncovering hidden mitochondrial mutations in single cells
A high-throughput single-cell single-mitochondrial genome sequencing technology known as iMiGseq has provided new insights into mutations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and offers a platform for assessing mtDNA editing strategies and genetic diagnosis.....»»