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.....»»
Enhanced CRISPR method enables stable insertion of large genes into the DNA of higher plants
Scientists at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) have succeeded for the first time in stably and precisely inserting large gene segments into the DNA of higher plants very efficiently. To do this, they optimized the gene-editing method.....»»
Scientists find common genes defending coffee plants against devastating disease
Arabica coffee is the most economically important coffee globally and accounts for 60% of coffee products worldwide. But the plants it hails from are vulnerable to a disease that, in the 1800s, devastated Sri Lanka's coffee empire......»»
Study uncovers the role of soil microbes in forest ecosystems
Assessing the function of forest ecosystems requires a deep understanding of the mechanisms of soil nitrogen mineralization. A study conducted by a team of researchers has shed light on how soil N-cycling genes drive soil nitrogen mineralization duri.....»»
Keys to the genome: Unlocking the package with "pioneer transcription factors"
Scientists at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute have discovered the molecular mechanisms responsible for opening up the human genome and expressing new genes......»»
Researchers are developing body armor made from silk—but this apparently cutting-edge idea is centuries old
Separate teams of Chinese and American scientists are reported to be developing body armor using the silk from genetically modified silkworms. The researchers modified the genes of silkworms to make them produce spider silk instead of their own silk......»»
First-of-its-kind integrated dataset enables genes-to-ecosystems research
A team of Department of Energy scientists led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory has released the first-ever dataset bridging molecular information about the poplar tree microbiome to ecosystem-level processes. The project aims to inform research regar.....»»
Rusty-patched bumblebee"s struggle for survival found in its genes
A team of researchers has uncovered alarming trends in the first range-wide genetic study of an endangered bee species. The study, led by Colorado State University and published in the Journal of Insect Science, will inform conservation and recovery.....»»
Catching vibes: Novel approach captures arthropod-driven vibrations
It was summer in northern Mississippi, rich in relative humidity and deciduous forests and wolf spiders. Noori Cho, then a doctoral student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, was dedicating two months to sharing a cabin with mice while on a res.....»»
Male and female crab spiders found to "cooperate" to mimic a flower to fool prey and predators
A pair of environmental scientists at Yunnan University, in China, has found an instance of a pair of spiders, one male, the other female, working together to create the image of a flower, thereby fooling both prey and predators......»»
How did nervous systems, with their incredible complexity, evolve across different species?
New research supported by the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute's Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars program zeroes in on the surprising observation that many genes found in brain cells and synapses—the points of communication between neurons—.....»»
Research uncovers a rare resin fossil find: A spider that aspires to be an ant
Arachnophobia can make humans flee at the sight of a brown recluse, black widow or even a daddy long legs, but animal predators of spiders know no such fear......»»
Team reports on the occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes in the western Qinghai Lake basin
Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have been widely detected in water, sediment, gut and even the phycosphere of algae. In strong anthropogenic activity areas, antibiotic resistance caused by ARGs can pose a significant threat to human health. Despit.....»»
Genes identified that allow bacteria to thrive despite toxic heavy metal in soil
Some soil bacteria can acquire sets of genes that enable them to pump the heavy metal nickel out of their systems, a study has found. This enables the bacteria to not only thrive in otherwise toxic soils but help plants grow there as well......»»
Gene expression technology set to semi-automation
The Human Genome Project generated the first sequence of the human genome, revealing a kind of blueprint of human biology. Two decades later, the field of gene regulatory networks describes a complex system where thousands of genes regulate one anoth.....»»
Virtual tool for studying gene function aims to reduce number of animals used for genetic testing
Researchers at the Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) have developed a new virtual tool that will allow scientists to study the function of genes more efficiently and hopefully reduce the number of anima.....»»
How cells manage their mRNA stockpile and its output
In a typical cell, genes encoded in DNA are used to make messenger RNA (mRNA), which is used to make proteins, and this process of gene expression keeps the cell running. Gene expression is regulated in each cell such that specific genes are turned o.....»»
When plants flower: Scientists ID genes, mechanism in sorghum
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and Oklahoma State University have identified key genes and the mechanism by which they control flowering in sorghum, an important bioenergy crop. The findings, just p.....»»
Natural tech for "dimming" genes brings transformative potential to agriculture
Until the 1992 advent of a tomato that could delay softening, the fruit was picked green to withstand shipping. The delayed-softening trait was an example of the gene-silencing technique RNA interference, RNAi, before the underlying mechanism was und.....»»
Perturbations in redox status, biochemical indices, genes in the liver following fish exposure to Mancozeb
Due to the increased demand for food for the growing population, pesticides are widely used to control diseases and boost productivity. A study published in the journal Gene Expression was designed to evaluate the toxic effects of the fungicide Manco.....»»
Scientists discover 18 new species of gut microbes in search for origins of antibiotic resistance
In a paper published February 28 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a research team describes the discovery of 18 never-before-seen species of bacteria of the Enterococcus type that contain hundreds of new genes—findings tha.....»»