Genetics News

November 14, 2016

Understanding Secrets of Our Internal Clocks

How First Biomolecule Self-Replicated

Why Do Bacteria Act Differently in Space?

How Plants Respond to Drought

Latest Headlines

updated 5:55pm EST

Near-Death Experiences Investigating Complex Signals Behind Basic Cell Behavior

Nov. 11, 2016 — Cells are often likened to computers, running an operating system that receives signals, processes their input, and responds, according to ... read more

Enhanced Wheat Curl Mite Control Found in Genes

Nov. 9, 2016 — High winds are a major contributor to the spread of wheat curl mite–transmitted viral diseases in wheat. Cultural control is not very effective because the wind can spread ... read more

Plants Modulate Accumulation of Metabolites at Organ Level

Nov. 11, 2016 — Scientists have developed a computational metabolomic approach to measure metabolic diversity in different plant tissues, a new ... read more

How a Common Virus Triggers Blood Cancer

Nov. 10, 2016 — Scientists trying to uncover how the common Epstein-Barr virus causes blood cancer in adults and children, have discovered how the virus takes control of two genes involved ... read more

Genomic Tools to Combat the Spread of the Invasive Asian Longhorned Beetle

Nov. 11, 2016 — The Asian longhorned beetle, also known as the starry sky beetle, is native to eastern Asia but has successfully invaded North America and Europe where it infests maple, ... read more

New Findings About the Deformed Wing Virus, a Major Factor in Honey Bee Colony Mortality

Nov. 11, 2016 — In recent years, massive losses of honey bee colonies have occurred during winter in Europe and North America. It could be ... read more

Decoding the Genome of the Japanese Morning Glory

Nov. 8, 2016 — Researchers have successfully decoded the entire Japanese morning glory genome. Because of the popularity of "mutant morning glories", a lot of natural mutants have been ... read more

Understanding the Notorious Infectivity of Francisella Tularensis

Nov. 9, 2016 — Scientists are gaining an insider's look behind the notorious infectivity of Francisella tularensis. Also called rabbit fever, the disease doesn't seem to spread from person ... read more

New Approach Against Salmonella and Other Pathogens

Nov. 8, 2016 — Researchers have developed a new strategy to immunize against microbes that invade the gastrointestinal tract, including Salmonella, which causes more foodborne illness in the United States than any ... read more

The Caucasus as an 'Island' in the 'Sea' of Steppes: New Insights in Mosquito Evolution

Nov. 8, 2016 — From a geographical point of view, the Caucasus is far from an island or even a peninsula, being a relatively big ... read more

S. Africa's Great White Shark Population on the Brink

California Bans Breeding Orcas In Captivity — But It's A Little Late

Eats Shoots and Rarely Breeds: Giant Pandas 'still at Risk'

Healing Horses With Stem Cells

Focus on Quiescent Cells Brings to Light Essential Role of RNAi in Transcription Control

Nov. 9, 2016 — Some cells just don’t get the respect they deserve. In fact, most cells don’t. Over 99 percent of the innumerable cells on our planet exist in a state of quiescence. Pick up a handful of soil: it ... read more

Gene Network Controls How Many Flowers and Fruits Plants Will Make in Critical Growth Window

Nov. 8, 2016 — There is staggering diversity in the number of flowers produced by each of the 2,800 or so species of plants in the nightshade family, which includes economically important crops such as tomatoes, ... read more

Dependency Can Be an Evolutionary Advantage

Nov. 8, 2016 — It has been known for quite some time that genetically modified bacteria, which have lost their ability to produce certain amino acids and retrieve these nutrients from their environment grow better ... read more

Solving the Puzzle of Necroptosis

Nov. 8, 2016 — Cell death is an essential physiological process for all multicellular organisms. Throughout life, cells in many tissues die naturally and are replaced by new cells. A proper balance between the ... read more

Changing Cell Behavior Could Boost Biofuels, Medicine

Nov. 7, 2016 — A computer scientist has developed a way to coax cells to do natural things under unnatural circumstances, which could be useful for stem cell research, gene therapy and biofuel production. A ... read more

Scientists Decode the Genome of Chinese Licorice

Nov. 4, 2016 — A group of scientists has decoded the genome of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, or Chinese licorice, a plant that is important for its use in Chinese medicine and as a natural ... read more

Scientists Find Key Protein for Spinal Cord Repair

Nov. 3, 2016 — A freshwater zebrafish costs less than two bucks at the pet store, but it can do something priceless: Its spinal cord can heal completely after being severed, a paralyzing and often fatal injury for ... read more

Gene Regulation: Shaping Up to Make the Cut

Nov. 3, 2016 — Before RNA copies of genes can program the synthesis of proteins, the non-coding regions are removed by the spliceosome. Researchers report that distinct conformations of a member of this molecular ... read more

Ebola Adapted to Better Infect Humans During 2013-2016 Epidemic

Nov. 3, 2016 — Researchers have identified mutations in Ebola virus that emerged during the 2013-2016 Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa that increased the ability of the virus to infect human ... read more

Plant Roots in the Dark See Light

Nov. 3, 2016 — Light transmitted from the shoot to the roots activates photoreceptors in the roots and triggers light-dependent growth responses in plants, scientists have ... read more

Spiral Growth: Feedback Loop Behind Spiral Patterns in Plants Uncovered?

Nov. 3, 2016 — For centuries, artists, biologists and mathematicians have been inspired by the recurring patterns of the plant world: the exquisite symmetry of flowers, the sweeping spirals of seeds, spines and ... read more

Faster Diagnosis of Sepsis Pathogens

Nov. 3, 2016 — Microbial pathogens can be diagnosed unambiguously and within just 24 hours by means of high-throughput sequencing of their genetic makeup and special bioinformatics evaluation algorithms. ... read more

Light Shed on Process of Programmed Mitochondrial Cell Death

Nov. 2, 2016 — Employing a novel sensor made of graphene – a one-atom-thin layer of carbon – researchers have gained new insight into the process of programmed cell death in mitochondria, possibly opening the ... read more

Mouse Mutants With Sleep Defects May Shed Light on the Mysteries of Sleep

Nov. 2, 2016 — The first unbiased genetic screen for sleep defects in mice has yielded two interesting mutants, Sleepy, which sleeps excessively, and Dreamless, which lacks rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The ... read more

How the African Striped Mouse Got Its Stripes

Nov. 2, 2016 — A gene called Alx3 blocks the differentiation of pigment-producing cells in the skin of the African striped mouse, thus generating the mouse's characteristic light-colored stripes, a new study ... read more

Heart Disease, Leukemia Linked to Dysfunction in Nucleus

Nov. 2, 2016 — We put things into a container to keep them organized and safe. In cells, the nucleus has a similar role: keeping DNA protected and intact within an enveloping membrane. But a new study reveals that ... read more

Technology Brings New Precision to Study of Circadian Rhythm in Individual Cells

Nov. 2, 2016 — A new technology may help scientists better understand how an individual cell synchronizes its biological clock with other ... read more

Compound of Sucrose and Citric Acid as Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents Kill Bacteria

Nov. 2, 2016 — Sucrose and citric acid are common ingredients in a cup of tea. But as a NADES (Natural deep eutectic solvents) compound these substances in combination can kill bacteria as effectively as if they ... read more

Gatekeeping Proteins to Aberrant RNA: You Shall Not Pass

Nov. 2, 2016 — Aberrant strands of genetic code have telltale signs that enable gateway proteins to recognize and block them from exiting the nucleus. Their findings shed light on a complex system of cell ... read more

Chemists Create Clusters of Organelles by Mimicking Nature

Nov. 2, 2016 — Scientists have succeeded in organizing spherical compartments into clusters mimicking the way natural organelles would create complex structures. They managed to connect the synthetic compartments ... read more

Wednesday, November 9, 2016