How humans got a new gene that makes our brains larger
Somewhere between chimps and us, an RNA started producing a useful protein. Enlarge / Building a bigger brain requires new genes, not a workout. (credit: OsakaWayne Studios) On the DNA level, there's not much to distingu.....»»
Researchers aim to control gene expression by studying the memories of cells
Communication between cells is now believed to activate a memory mechanism that sustains gene expression, a finding based on the work of Dr. Gregory Reeves......»»
GM, EVgo to expand U.S. EV charging partnership
Most of the sites will have no more than 20 chargers, though some will be larger in states such as Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New York and Texas......»»
Clovis people used Great Lakes camp annually about 13,000 years ago, researchers confirm
The earliest humans to settle the Great Lakes region likely returned to a campsite in southwest Michigan for several years in a row, according to a University of Michigan study......»»
Carbohydrate polymers could be a sweet solution for water purification
Water polluted with heavy metals can pose a threat when consumed by humans and aquatic life. Sugar-derived polymers from plants remove these metals but often require other substances to adjust their stability or solubility in water......»»
Beyond needles: Introducing a new, nature-based approach for delivering cargo into egg cells
A new approach for delivering miniature research tools into the interior of egg cells and embryos has been developed at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), resolving a major bottleneck to using the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 in many research o.....»»
Cleaner wrasse check their body size in mirror before deciding whether to fight, research demonstrates
An Osaka Metropolitan University-led team has demonstrated that bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) check their body size in a mirror before choosing whether to attack fish that are slightly larger or smaller than themselves......»»
Private astronauts on daring trek ahead of historic spacewalk
A private crew set out on an audacious orbital expedition Tuesday, journeying deeper into the cosmos than any humans in half a century as they prepare for the first ever spacewalk by non-professional astronauts......»»
Multiple ways to evolve tiny knee bone could have helped humans walk upright
The evolution of bones in primates' knees could have implications for how humans evolved to walk upright, a new study has found......»»
Thanks to humans, Salish Sea waters are too noisy for resident orcas to hunt successfully
The Salish Sea—the inland coastal waters of Washington and British Columbia—is home to two unique populations of fish-eating orcas, the northern resident and the southern resident orcas. Human activity over much of the 20th century, including red.....»»
Pollution of the potent warming gas methane soars and people are mostly to blame
The amount and proportion of the powerful heat-trapping gas methane that humans spew into the atmosphere is rising, helping to turbocharge climate change, a new study finds......»»
How viruses move through insects for transmission of diseases
Viruses are master parasites that have adapted to infect many host species. Some viruses even use multiple hosts to spread their infections—such as arboviruses that use insects to move their infections to mammalian hosts like humans. Understanding.....»»
Promoting horse welfare with an intestinal disease screening method
Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, are developing a promising method to support the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in horses. Awareness of the prevalence of IBD in both humans and animals has increased in recent de.....»»
Surprising hormone-related gene activity discovered in the early larval stage of the Malabar grouper
Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST)'s Marine Climate Change Unit and Marine Eco-Evo-Devo Unit have highlighted patterns of gene activation during Malabar grouper larval development, revealing an unusual early peak of.....»»
A roadmap for using viruses to enhance crop performance
Humans, livestock and companion animals benefit from virus-based vaccines and gene therapies, but crops do not. This paradox is highlighted by an international research group led by the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants (IBMCP) wi.....»»
Crispr-Enhanced Viruses Are Being Deployed Against UTIs
With antibiotics losing their effectiveness, one company is turning to gene editing and bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria—to combat infections......»»
First robot leg with "artificial muscles" jumps nimbly: Study
Researchers said on Monday they had designed the first robotic leg with "artificial muscles"—oil-filled bags allowing machines to move more like humans—that can jump nimbly across a range of surfaces......»»
Genetic analysis reveals new giant fanged frog species in Philippines that is nearly identical to even larger species
Researchers from the University of Kansas have published findings in the journal Ichthyology & Herpetology describing a new species of fanged frog, named Limnonectes cassiopeia, from the Philippine island of Luzon......»»
Formation of super-Earths proven limited near metal-poor stars
In a new study, astronomers report novel evidence regarding the limits of planet formation, finding that after a certain point, planets larger than Earth have difficulty forming near low-metallicity stars......»»
Scalable, multi-functional device lays groundwork for advanced quantum applications
Researchers have demonstrated a new multi-functional device that could help advance the scalability of solid-state color centers, enabling them to be used in larger and more complex quantum computers and networks. As efficient photon-spin interfaces,.....»»
How context-specific factors control gene activity
Every cell in our body contains the same DNA, yet liver cells are different from brain cells, and skin cells differ from muscle cells. What determines these differences? It all comes down to gene regulation; essentially how and when genes are turned.....»»