Protecting the genome from transposon activation
Transposons are foreign DNA elements capable of random insertion into the genome, an event that can be very dangerous for a cell. Their activity must be silenced to maintain genomic integrity, which is primarily achieved by H3K9me3-mediated repressio.....»»
New generation of ecological models needed to safeguard future of biodiversity, says researcher
Protecting animals, ecosystems and biodiversity is one of the big challenges of our time. With climate change dramatically impacting the planet and transformations in society such as housing development and urbanization, protecting ecosystems and the.....»»
The fish with the genome 30 times larger than ours gets sequenced
Every 10 million years, lungfish have added a human genome's worth of junk DNA. Enlarge / The African Lungfish, showing it's thin, wispy fins. (credit: feathercollector) When it was first discovered, the coelacanth cause.....»»
International team sequence the world"s largest animal genome: Data help explain tetrapod evolution
Join us as we travel back in time. We have arrived in the Devonian period, some 420 to 360 million years ago. In a shallow area near the water's edge, something happened that would forever change life on our planet: a fish from the class of lobe-finn.....»»
Florida’s ban on lab-grown meat challenged as unconstitutional
Attorney: “Florida’s law has nothing to do with protecting health and safety." Enlarge (credit: Upside Foods) Florida’s ban on cultivated meat is being challenged in federal court in a lawsuit that was filed yester.....»»
Light-responsive gene regulation at the mRNA level
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have established a new optogenetic approach that can control the bacterial production of proteins at the mRNA level using blue light. The new system gates the activation of the genetic substance particularly.....»»
Harnessing compact RNA-guided endonucleases for enhanced genome editing
The review paper "CRISPR Beyond: Harnessing Compact RNA-Guided Endonucleases for Enhanced Genome Editing," authored by Feizuo Wang from National University of Singapore, presents a comprehensive examination of the advancements in CRISPR-Cas technolog.....»»
Bacteria encode hidden genes outside their genome; do we?
Since the genetic code was first deciphered in the 1960s, our genes have seemed like an open book. By reading and decoding our chromosomes as linear strings of letters, like sentences in a novel, we can identify the genes in our genome and learn why.....»»
Editing for resilience: CRISPR/Cas9 boosts potato stress resistance
Scientists have made a significant breakthrough in agricultural biotechnology by using CRISPR/Cas9 to edit the potato genome, resulting in plants with increased resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses. This innovation could lead to a new era o.....»»
Sea of opportunity: Protecting mangroves, seagrass could boost Indonesia"s new climate targets
Indonesia has signaled it could include blue carbon ecosystems—carbon-rich coastal and marine areas, like mangroves and seagrass—in its new climate targets. This shift follows years of relying heavily on the forestry and land sectors as well as t.....»»
Heat stress survival: Unraveling the HsfA2-ACTIN dynamics in lily varieties
A research team has identified that the heat stress transcription factor HsfA2 and actin-interacting protein (AIP) LACTIN interact at the protein level in Lilium longiflorum "White Heaven," mediating gene expression and protecting cells from heat str.....»»
Predicting metabolic potential in bacteria from limited genome data
How bacteria eat food, and what kinds of products they can make from that food, is dictated by the metabolic network of enzyme patterns encoded in their genomes. Using computational methods to learn these patterns across a large number of known bacte.....»»
Ancient viral elements in RNA kickstart bone repair
Around half of the human genome is composed of DNA fragments originating from ancient viruses. These "transposable elements" (TEs) are now known to play various roles in modulating gene expression and disease development. Now, an international team l.....»»
The effects of whole genome duplication on the plant metabolome
Whole genome duplication (WGD) is a common mutation in plants with profound evolutionary potential. While it is well-known that an increase in genetic material can lead to larger cell sizes, the impact of gene dosage multiplication on the metabolome.....»»
Big sharks equal big impact, but there"s a big problem: Those most affected by fishing are most needed for ocean health
Shark conservation must go beyond simply protecting shark populations—it must prioritize protecting the ecological roles of sharks, according to new research published in Science......»»
Electrical impedance tomography plus extracellular voltage activation technique simplifies drug screening
When developing new drugs, understanding their effects on ion channels in the body, such as the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) ion channel found in neurons and heart muscle cells, is critical. Blocking hERG channels can disrupt a normal hear.....»»
How duplicated genomes helped grasses diversify and thrive
Grasses cover about 40% of the Earth's land surface, thriving in a multitude of environments. The evolutionary success of this plant family, which includes rice, maize, wheat and bamboo, likely results from a history of whole-genome duplications, acc.....»»
Apple introduces revolutionary privacy technique for protecting sensitive data
Apple is finally introducing homomorphic encryption into its products. This cryptographic technique is new for the tech giant but will be a massive revolution for … The post Apple introduces revolutionary privacy technique for protecting sensit.....»»
How bacteria attach their cloaks of invisibility to immune defenses
Bacteria have different strategies for protecting themselves. Some bacterial pathogens surround themselves with a shell made of many sugar chains that lie close together, also known as capsular polymers. This protects the bacteria from drying out and.....»»
Study offers hope for development of vaccine capable of protecting cattle against malignant catarrhal fever
A research team led by University of Liège scientists has published a groundbreaking study on malignant catarrhal fever (MCF). This disease is caused by the alcelaphine gammaherpesvirus 1 (AlHV-1), which infects its natural host, the wildebeest......»»
Avocado genome assembled: Uncovering disease resistance and fatty acid secrets
The avocado, celebrated for its nutritious unsaturated fats and distinctive flavor, encounters notable agricultural challenges, particularly its vulnerability to diseases that can drastically reduce fruit quality and yield......»»