Sociability genes found in some spiders
A team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, Texas Tech University, Cornell University and Australian National University has found similar genes between species of spiders that have some degree of sociability. They have published their p.....»»
"Mystery gene" matures the skeleton of the cell
"I'm a professional pin-in-a-haystack seeker," geneticist Thijn Brummelkamp responds when asked why he excels at tracking down proteins and genes that other people did not find, despite the fact that some have managed to remain elusive for as long as.....»»
Researchers identify genes potentially responsible for sugarcane"s resistance to pests, cold and drought
A study conducted at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil has identified orphan genes in wild sugarcane (Saccharum spontaneum), a species with exceptional resistance to biotic stresses such as nematodes, fungi, bacteria and other pest.....»»
These Spiders Use Their Webs Like Huge Silky Ears
A study of orb-weaving spiders shows that the arachnids' webs pick up a range of sounds--and they are always "listening" for vibrations coming in over them......»»
Quantum Tunneling Makes DNA More Unstable
The freaky physics phenomenon of quantum tunneling may mutate genes.....»»
There’s New Proof Crispr Can Edit Genes Inside Human Bodies
The technique had largely been limited to editing patients’ cells in the lab. New research shows promise for treating diseases more directly......»»
Plant breeding: Using "invisible" chromosomes to pass on packages of positive traits
The ideal crop plant is tasty and high-yielding while also being resistant to diseases and pests. But if the relevant genes are far apart on a chromosome, some of these positive traits can be lost during breeding. To ensure that positive traits can b.....»»
Who Owns the Ocean"s Genes? Tension on the High Seas
Countries are struggling with how to share genetic code from myriad ocean creatures, which could lead to billion-dollar drugs.....»»
Young genes found to adapt faster than old ones
A new study from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön and the University of Sussex in the UK shows that the age of a gene determines how fast they adapt. These findings demonstrate how gene evolution occurs as an "adaptive walk".....»»
The double life of Sp1: A protein"s new role upends thinking about its impact on cancer
For four decades, Specificity Protein 1 (Sp1) has been cast solely as a transcription factor, a type of protein that binds DNA and turns genes on. But a Donnelly Center study has now revealed that Sp1 plays another unexpected role in gene regulation.....»»
This spider-eating, nest-sharing bat was once safe from fire, until the Black Summer burned its rainforests
Golden-tipped bats are peculiar creatures. By night, they hunt the understory for orb-weaving spiders, plucking them carefully from their sticky webs. By day, they roost in excavated basements at the bottom of nests made by two rainforest birds......»»
Biologists track DNA "parasites" in the hunt for disease treatments
They are considered "parasitic genes." Even though they comprise over half of human DNA, much remains to be learned about them. Now University of California, Irvine biologists offer new insights into these entities known as transposons, providing kno.....»»
When mothers shut down the fathers" genes in plant embryos
In humans, and many other species, both genes inherited from the mother and from the father influence how embryos develop. In the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, however, the mother has total control, as researchers from the Berger lab at GMI now un.....»»
You might sleep, and dream, like a spider
The next time you spot a spider hanging upside down in your apartment, it might actually be snoozing somewhat like humans.Behavioral ecologist Daniela Rößler made this accidental finding when she first observed jumping spiders dangling in.....»»
Live-seq: Sequencing a cell without killing it
RNA sequencing allows scientists to study the expression of genes in a cell. Since messenger RNA (mRNA) is generated from a DNA gene, that information can be used to identify the original gene sequence and thus measure the activity of thousands of ge.....»»
Male spiders maximize sperm transfer to counter female cannibalism
When sexual conflict results in reproductive strategies that only benefit one of the sexes, it may result in evolutionary arms races. Male spiders have evolved behavioral mating strategies to improve their chances of mating despite the risk of being.....»»
What If Cells Kept Receipts of Their Gene Expression?
Researchers have found a new way to keep records of when a cell’s genes turn on and off—by harnessing systems that bacteria already use for self-defense......»»
Analyses of heat shock transcription factors and database construction based on whole-genome genes in plants
The heat shock transcription factors (Hsfs) are members of a key transcription factor gene family that responds to heat stress and plays an important role in heat resistance. Previous reports have shown that Hsf family genes contain several conserved.....»»
Nearly a hundred genes have been lost during the woolly mammoth"s evolution
A new study shows that 87 genes have been affected by deletions or short insertions during the course of the mammoth's evolution. The researchers note that their findings have implications for international efforts to resurrect extinct species, inclu.....»»
Mathematical method enables extraction of clear signals from single-cell RNA sequencing data
Since scientists first mapped the complete human genome, attention has now turned to the question of how cells use this master copy of genetic instructions. It is known that when genes are switched on, parts of the DNA sequences in the cell nucleus a.....»»
Spiders Seem to Have REM-like Sleep and May Even Dream
Jumping spiders have REM-like twitches when they sleep, suggesting dreams may be much more widespread in the animal kingdom than previously realized.....»»