Continuously throughout our lives, our cells are expressing genes. It's the first step in making proteins, the stuff of all the structures in the body and molecular players in the countless dramas unfolding every second as ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 3, 2017
0
140
Our genomes are minefields, studded with potentially damaging DNA sequences over which hundreds of thousands of sentries stand guard. These sentries, called epigenetic marks, attach to the double helix at such spots and prevent ...
Biotechnology
Jun 29, 2017
0
333
A new, much more detailed reference genome for maize, or corn, as it is called in the U.S., will be published in Nature today. In its accounting of the sequence of DNA letters in the plant's 10 chromosomes, the new version ...
Biotechnology
Jun 12, 2017
1
9
Breeding in plants and animals typically involves straightforward addition. As beneficial new traits are discovered—like resistance to drought or larger fruits—they are added to existing prized varieties, delivered via ...
Biotechnology
May 18, 2017
0
1039
It's a good thing we don't have to think about putting all the necessary pieces in place when one of our trillions of cells needs to duplicate its DNA and then divide to produce identical daughter cells.
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 17, 2017
2
599
Using a simple and powerful genetic method to tweak genes native to two popular varieties of tomato plants, a team at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has devised a rapid method to make them flower and produce ripe fruit ...
Biotechnology
Dec 5, 2016
0
326
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 contains thousands of microorganisms, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 9, 2016
0
299
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, peppers, and potatoes. Some ...
Biotechnology
Nov 7, 2016
0
256
It is one of the wonders of nature: multiplying cells are able to precisely copy their genetic material, once and only once, and spatially segregate the resulting two sets of chromosomes when the time comes to separate into ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 26, 2016
0
258
A collaborative effort by cancer researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and chemists at Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), a pharmaceutical firm, has resulted in the identification of a new drug target in leukemia and ...
Biochemistry
Jul 5, 2016
0
77
