The genetic basis and process of inbreeding depression in an elite hybrid rice
Inbreeding depression is defined as reduced fitness or performance arising from increasing homozygosity of progenies due to successive inbreeding, whereas heterosis refers to the superiority of a hybrid over its parent resulting from the increase in.....»»
Genetic evidence points to distinct Viking settlers of the Faroe Islands and Iceland
Geneticists have studied the distribution of Y-chromosome haplogroups on the Faroe Islands, known to have been colonized by Vikings around the year 900 CE, and compared these to distributions of haplogroups in today's Scandinavia......»»
Siri engine to be fundamentally revamped across 2025, early 2026
Apple is in the process of overhauling Siri to catch up to AI engines like ChatGPT, but the revamp will emerge in stages across 2025 and into 2026.Siri will continue to improve in increments across 2025 and into 2026.The company has already introduce.....»»
Opinion: The peer review system no longer works to guarantee academic rigor—a different approach is needed
Peer review is a central feature of academic work. It's the process through which research ends up published in an academic journal: independent experts scrutinize the work of another researcher in order to recommend if it should be accepted by a pub.....»»
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Apple A18 Pro: two top-tier chips clash
Qualcomm has taken the wraps off the Snapdragon 8 Elite, its newest and most powerful processor. How does it compare to the Apple A18 Pro chip?.....»»
Caste differentiation in ants: How a specific hormone regulates the process
Scientists from the University of Copenhagen have revealed how a specific hormone regulates ant caste differentiation by phenotypic measurements of organ-level developmental changes and matching transcriptome analyses. Published in the Proceedings of.....»»
Non-genetic reprogramming method to restore sweat gland function shows promise for burn victims
Sweat glands are vital for regulating body temperature, maintaining fluid balance, and supporting skin health. Yet, extensive skin injuries, such as burns, often result in the loss of these glands, leaving patients vulnerable to overheating, dehydrat.....»»
"e-Drive": New gene drive reverses insecticide resistance in pests... then disappears
Insecticides have been used for centuries to counteract widespread pest damage to valuable food crops. Eventually, over time, beetles, moths, flies and other insects develop genetic mutations that render the insecticide chemicals ineffective......»»
Smarter city planning: Researchers use brain activity to predict visits to urban areas
Urbanization, the process by which cities and towns expand in size and population, is rapidly advancing globally, and the percentage of people living in urban environments has increased from 33% in 1960 to 57% in 2023......»»
Quantum-inspired design boosts efficiency of heat-to-electricity conversion
Researchers at Rice University have found a new way to improve a key element of thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems, which convert heat into electricity via light. Using an unconventional approach inspired by quantum physics, Rice engineer Gururaj Naik.....»»
"Genetic time machine" reveals complex chimpanzee cultures
In recent decades, scientists have clearly demonstrated that chimpanzees, like humans, pass on complex cultures such as tool use from generation to generation. But human culture has become vastly more sophisticated, from the Stone Age to the Space Ag.....»»
Florida panthers deemed unaffected by emerging fatal genetic condition in new research
University of Central Florida researchers have helmed a study that found Florida panthers are not particularly susceptible to a potentially transmissible disease that causes cognitive decline leading to death in their prey. The findings abate concern.....»»
Genetic research explores purple tea"s health benefits
Purple tea, the product of long-term natural evolution, stands out for its high anthocyanin content, known for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging effects. Unlike traditional green tea, purple tea is increasingly valued for its potential t.....»»
Transparent worms with glowing proteins may help fertility treatments
The development of maternal egg cells is pivotal for survival—but also precarious. During meiosis, the DNA-containing chromosomes can easily be broken or lost, causing infertility, miscarriage or genetic disorders like Down syndrome. Scientists hav.....»»
New structure gives insight into mRNA export and cancers, and how viruses hijack the process to infect their host
The central dogma of biology defines the flow of genetic information: It describes how proteins are made from mRNA templates, which are in turn made from DNA. Exporting the mRNA from inside the nucleus to the site of protein translation in the cytopl.....»»
Engineering nature"s blueprint: Dendron-based assemblies for chlorophyll"s materials
Researchers often look to photosynthesis—a process that turns sunlight into chemical energy in plants and bacteria—as a model for innovation. Photosynthesis is in turn linked to chlorophyll pigments, tiny green molecules that play a key role in h.....»»
Enhancing visibility for better security in multi-cloud and hybrid environments
In this Help Net Security interview, Brooke Motta, CEO of RAD Security, talks about how cloud-specific threats have evolved and what companies should be watching out for. She discusses the growing complexity of cloud environments and the importance o.....»»
Plant biologists show how two genes work together to trigger embryo formation in rice
Rice is a staple food crop for more than half the world's population, but most farmers don't grow high-yielding varieties because the seeds are too expensive. Researchers from the University of California's Davis and Berkeley campuses have identified.....»»
Oceanographic expedition provides evidence on the "atlantification" of the Arctic Ocean
The international BIOCAL expedition, led by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), provided new evidence on the phenomenon of "atlantification" of the Arctic Ocean, a process relate.....»»
School social workers an underutilized resource as mental health challenges in children sees increase
Youth in America are experiencing a mental health crisis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC reports that an increasing number of students are experiencing symptoms of hopelessness, depression, and anxiety, alo.....»»
Cas9-PE system achieves precise editing and site-specific random mutation in rice
Achieving the aggregation of different mutation types at multiple genomic loci and generating transgene-free plants in the T0 generation is an important goal in crop breeding. Although prime editing (PE), as the latest precise gene editing technology.....»»