A new study describes how head-on collisions between protein machines on chromosomes can disrupt DNA replication and boost the rate of gene mutations that help bacteria survive hostile environments, resist antibiotics, and ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 15, 2017
0
8
Genes do not exist in isolation. Like beads on a string, they sit next to each other on long DNA molecules called chromosomes. So far, little has been known about how the position of a gene on a chromosome affects its evolution. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 25, 2017
0
1
Genes provide instructions to cells in the body telling them what to do and not do in order to function optimally. Small changes in genes, called mutations, can have major consequences. Similar to a glitch in a computer's ...
Evolution
Jul 18, 2017
0
147
Researchers funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) have discovered mutations that worsen respiratory infections among children. Their study explain the mechanism involved.
Biotechnology
Jul 18, 2017
0
2
Rice is a staple food for over half of the world's population and a model for studies of candidate bioenergy grasses such as sorghum, switchgrass, and Miscanthus. To optimize crops for biofuel production, scientists are seeking ...
Biotechnology
Jul 5, 2017
0
26
Genome instability is the main risk factor in the development of tumours in humans. Understanding how, where, when and why these mutations are produced in DNA is one of the great objectives of the global scientific community. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 30, 2017
0
2
Research into yeast, the single-celled organism behind a range of human infections, has led to University of Otago Faculty of Dentistry researchers identifying a previously unknown piece of genetic sleight-of-hand which may ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 16, 2017
0
168
As CRISPR-Cas9 starts to move into clinical trials, a new study published in Nature Methods has found that the gene-editing technology can introduce hundreds of unintended mutations into the genome.
Biotechnology
May 29, 2017
12
14197
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
Forests of silver birch stretch across Europe, and they are a wonder to behold: stands of slender, white-barked trees sheltering vast swathes of earth.
Biotechnology
May 8, 2017
0
197
