Whole genomes map pathways of chimpanzee and bonobo divergence
Chimpanzees and bonobos are sister species that diverged around 1.8 million years ago as the Congo River formed a geographic boundary and they evolved in separate environments. Now, a whole-genome comparison of bonobos and chimpanzees reveals the gen.....»»
Prehistoric roots of "cold sore" virus traced through ancient herpes DNA
Ancient genomes from the herpes virus that commonly causes lip sores—and currently infects some 3.7 billion people globally—have been uncovered and sequenced for the first time by an international team of scientists led by the University of Cambr.....»»
Scientists identify "bottleneck" in drug delivery pathways in stem cells
Our bodies have evolved formidable barriers to protect themselves against foreign substances—from our skin, to our cells and every component within the cells, each part of our bodies has protective layers. These defenses, while essential, pose a si.....»»
USA’s plan to build its cyber workforce, improve skills-based pathways to cyber jobs
On July 19, 2022, National Cyber Director Chris Inglis hosted the National Cyber Workforce and Education Summit at the White House. The event focused on building the cyber workforce, improving skills-based pathways to cyber jobs, educating Americans.....»»
Scientists identify DNA "hotspots" that tell zebrafish to change sex in warmer waters
Higher water temperatures induce specific chemical tags at targeted locations on the DNA of embryonic zebrafish. These "epigenetic" changes can then reroute genetic pathways, so that the embryos change sex. This finding, in Frontiers in Cell and Deve.....»»
Worms as a model for personalized medicine
Tailoring a person's diet or medicine based on their genomes has been a goal of the medical community for decades, but the strategy has not been widely successful because people metabolize chemicals differently. A drug may work differently for two pa.....»»
Chimpanzee mothers may grieve loss of their young
New observations from the Budongo Forest in Uganda help us to understand why chimpanzee mothers carry their dead infants......»»
Comparative analyses of American and Asian lotus genomes
Nelumbo is a unique genus of Nelumbonaceae (lotus), which comprises two extant species: N. nucifera Gaertn. widely distributed in Asia and northern Australia, and N. lutea Pers. which is distributed in America. These two species exhibit differences i.....»»
Red wolf genes found in coyote hybrids may be the key to preserving the endangered species
A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in the U.S. reports a high percentage of red wolf genes in the genomes of coyote hybrids living in some parts of southwest Louisiana and eastern Texas. In their paper published in the journal.....»»
Ancient wolf genomes indicate an East Asian origin for dogs
Many dog populations seem to have two doses of wolf genes. Enlarge / An Eastern Gray Wolf is a mix of Siberian ancestry and coyote DNA. (credit: Michael Cummings) Man's best friend was the first of many animals humans have dom.....»»
Study reveals sequence and structural divergence in strawberry mitogenomes
Fragaria, known as strawberries, are among the most popular berry fruits and also the youngest domesticated plants. Southwest China is rich in wild strawberry germplasm resources, and has been recognized as an important distribution center of wild st.....»»
Gene fusion as an important mechanism to generate new genes in Oryza genomes
Events of gene fusion have been reported in several organisms. However, the role of gene fusion as part of new gene origination remains unknown. Evolutionary new genes, fused from more than two parental genes, can duck out of the detrimental step of.....»»
What Polar Bear Genomes May Reveal About Life in a Low-Ice Arctic
Two new studies use whole genome sequencing to explore how the animals have fared in warmer conditions, raising questions about climate and adaptation......»»
Many human genomes shaped by past events that caused sharp dips in the population
The genomes of many human populations show evidence of founder events, which occur when a small number of initial members start a new population, and can lead to low genetic diversity as well as increase the risk of certain genetic diseases in the ne.....»»
Sequencing Cat Genomes Could Help Breed Healthier Kitties
A study of more than 11,000 felines reveals the benefits of genetic testing before breeding -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
Amphioxus sequencing gives insight on vertebrate evolution
Vertebrate evolution was accompanied by two rounds of whole genome duplication followed by functional divergence in terms of regulatory circuits and gene expression patterns. As a basal and slow-evolving chordate species, amphioxus is an ideal paradi.....»»
Collecting a library of bee genomes
The USDA Agricultural Research Service is leading a project dubbed "Beenome100" to produce high-quality maps of the genomes of at least 100 bee species, capturing the diversity of bees in the United States, representing each of the major bee taxonomi.....»»
Open-source program IDs synthetic, naturally occurring gene sequences
It's a given that certain bacteria and viruses can cause illness and disease, but the real culprits are the sequences of concern that lie within the genomes of these microbes......»»
1,700-year-old Korean genomes show genetic heterogeneity in Three Kingdoms period Gaya
An international team led by The University of Vienna and the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in collaboration with the National Museum of Korea has successfully sequenced and studied the whole genome of eight 1,700-year-old indivi.....»»
Cretaceous metabolic pathways influence present-day global nutrient cycles
In the context of climate change, the phenomenon of oxygen-depleted areas in the ocean has become a focus of scientific attention in recent years. These areas, known as oxygen minimum zones (OMZ), are located in the Indian Ocean or off the Peruvian c.....»»
New inherited retroviruses identified in the koala genome
Historic virus infections can be traced in vertebrate genomes. For millions of years, these genomes have been repositories for retroviruses that incorporated their code into germline cells and were inherited as endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). Researc.....»»