Ferns are notorious for containing massive amounts of DNA and an excessively large number of chromosomes. Defying all expectations, a fern no larger than a dinner plate currently holds the title for highest chromosome count, ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 1, 2022
0
42
Our bodies' genes work together to regulate how our cells behave. For example, if you skin your knee, your genes use a chemical messaging system to direct an army of cells to heal the abrasion. If scientists could create ...
Biochemistry
Aug 19, 2022
0
513
The brushtail possum asked the sugar glider, "Are we related?" For many years, science answered "No". For a long time, genetic data provided evidence that the Australasian possums, the Phalangeroidea (including the brushtail ...
Evolution
Aug 18, 2022
0
16
The traditional idea of symbiosis—long-term interactions between two organisms—is that the participants mutually benefit each other. However, researchers have debated whether the interests of the symbionts always line ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 3, 2022
0
409
Genome sequencing, where scientists use laboratory methods to determine a specific organism's genetic makeup, is becoming a common practice in insect research. A greater understanding of insect biology helps scientists better ...
Biotechnology
Jul 22, 2022
0
4
In a study, published in Science Advances, an international team of researchers have identified 28 gene regions that have been particularly important in the evolution of Darwin's finches. These genetic variants do not represent ...
Evolution
Jul 11, 2022
0
626
One way cells can control the activities of their genes is by adding small chemical modifications to the DNA that determine which genes are turned on or off. Methyl groups are one of these chemical modifications or tags. ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 1, 2022
0
100
A recent publication from researchers at the University of Kentucky explains the importance of identifying and understanding how differences between tissues and cells alter gene expression without changing the underlying ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jun 29, 2022
0
271
When heat waves hit, they don't just take a toll on people—the plants we depend on for food suffer too. That's because when temperatures get too high, certain plant defenses don't work as well, leaving them more susceptible ...
Ecology
Jun 29, 2022
0
21
An international group of geneticists and archaeologists, led by the Francis Crick Institute, have found that the ancestry of dogs can be traced to at least two populations of ancient wolves. The work moves us a step closer ...
Evolution
Jun 29, 2022
0
459
