A genetic fluke two to three million years ago turned humans into the best endurance runners around.
This fungus senses gravity using a gene it borrowed from bacteria
Don’t mind me, just borrowing some genes to make gravity-sensing crystals. Sorry, what?
Scientists discover why cockroaches are such good survivors
Their insane ability to survive almost anything is written in their DNA.
Gene mutation doesn’t make women diagnosed with breast cancer more likely to die
A gene mutation that makes it likely for women to develop breast cancer doesn’t actually make the disease worse.
Gene mutation very common in a Amish community might extend lifespan by 10 years
The Amish could hold the secret to the ‘fountain of youth’.
Biologists find genetic master switch for the butterfly’s wing color
Only two genes code both the canvas and paintbrush for the intricate butterfly wing patterns.
Exposure to BPA might reprogram the brains of turtles — affecting them genetically
It changes their genes.
Researchers find 6,500 genes expressed differently in men and women
The genes, it’s all in the genes.
Researchers complete 30% of the synthetic yeast chromosome — synthetic life is just around the corner
Immense potential in a small cell.
Scientists engineer mosquitoes that could stop malaria spread
A mosquito with a gene that blocks the malaria parasite has been created in the laboratory, a new research reports.
Scientists figure out why snakes have such long bodies
Researchers from Portugal believe they finally have the answer.
Human limbs might have evolved from shark gills
Flap your hands like a shark.
Activating a single gene could reverse colon cancer growth
A new study on mice shows great promise for treating colon cancer – a simple genetic tweak can turn colorectal cancer cells into healthy tissue in a matter of days.
Big-brained mice engineered using human DNA
In the quest to understand what are the crucial differences between human and chimpanzee brains, scientists have isolated a stretch of DNA, once thought to be “junk”, near a gene that regulates brain development in mice. The engineered mouse embryos grew significantly larger brains. Those which received human brain DNA strands had 12% larger brains than those bred with chimp brain DNA. Research like this, though ethically controversial, might help identify which DNA sequences give a brain human characteristics, but also aid in findings treatment or cures for brain diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Would you clone your dog for $100,000?
We’ve come a long way since the first mammal, a sheep named Dolly, was cloned. Now, a lab in South Korea will clone your dog for around $100,000; so far, they’ve cloned 400 pets since 2006. Cloning is still tabu in many parts of the world, but it’s a process which is no longer reserved for the future – it’s happening
Genome duality: chromosome sets sequenced separately reveal magic ratio
Genetic diversity is essential to our survival, but its exactly the huge variance in genetic information that makes all so sought for personalised treatment so difficult. And you don’t need to look at an entire population or even two different people to experience the power of diversity. It’s enough to look inside your own, personal genome since you carry two
Study that looked at 409 pairs of Gay Brothers confirms Chromosome X link to Homosexuality
A massive independent genetic survey sought to replicate the findings of a 20 year old controversial study which identified a stretch on the X chromosome as being linked with homosexuality. The latest findings, which took into account the genetic makeup of a staggering 409 pairs of gay siblings, confirm the initial reports and further boost the idea that homosexuality is also influenced by
Genes that Define How Tall You Grow Identified
It’s common knowledge that babies born out of tall parents will most likely grow to be just as tall, but it’s only recently that scientists report finding most of the genes responsible for height. Information like this could prove to be useful in diagnosing genetic growth deficiencies or, in the not so distant future, genetic manipulation to enhance growth in height. Short
Resetting the immune system back 500 million years
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics (MPI-IE) re-activated the expression of an ancient gene in mice. To their surprise, the gene in question which is dormant in all mammalian species caused the mice to develop fish-like thymus. The thymus is an organ of paramount importance to the adaptive immune system, but in this particular instance, the thymus produced
Chemical switch found in Alzheimer’s and stroke victims’ brains kills neurons
Researchers at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) have found a chemical switch that both regulates the generation of new neurons from neural stem cells and the survival of existing nerve cells in the brain. Postmortem examination of the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and stroke victims found the switch that shuts off the signals was in abundance. With this in