News tagged with genetic switch

Before animals first walked on land, fish carried gene program for limbs

Genetic instructions for developing limbs and digits were present in primitive fish millions of years before their descendants first crawled on to land, researchers have discovered.

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jul 11, 2011 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (17) | comments 35 | with audio podcast

A mystery solved: How genes are selectively silenced

Cells read only those genes which are needed at a given moment, while the others are chemically labeled and, thus, selectively turned off. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center have now been the first to discover ...

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Oct 18, 2010 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (15) | comments 7 | with audio podcast

Scientists unlock one mystery of tissue regeneration

Researchers at the University of Rochester have now identified a genetic switch that controls oxidative stress in stem cells and thus governs stem cell function.

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Feb 03, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (13) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

How hemp got high: Canadian scientists map the cannabis genome

A team of Canadian researchers has sequenced the genome of Cannabis sativa, the plant that produces both industrial hemp and marijuana, and in the process revealed the genetic changes that led to the plant's drug-producing proper ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Oct 19, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (12) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Study provides insight into evolution of first flowers

(PhysOrg.com) -- Charles Darwin described the sudden origin of flowering plants about 130 million years ago as an abominable mystery, one that scientists have yet to solve.

Biology / Evolution

created May 18, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (10) | comments 0

'Supergene' is key to copycat butterflies

Since Charles Darwin, biologists have pondered the mystery of "mimicry butterflies", which survive by copying the wing patterns of other butterflies that taste horrible to their predators, birds.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Aug 12, 2011 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (7) | comments 0

The first malaria-proof mosquito

For years, researchers worldwide have attempted to create genetically altered mosquitoes that cannot infect humans with malaria. Those efforts fell short because the mosquitoes still were capable of transmitting ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jul 15, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

Stem cell breakthrough: Monitoring the on switch that turns stem cells into muscle

In a genetic engineering breakthrough that could help everyone from bed-ridden patients to elite athletes, a team of American researchers—including 2007 Nobel Prize winner Mario R. Capecchi—have created a "switch" that allows ...

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Mar 30, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 0

Embryo development obeys the laws of hydrodynamics

Vincent Fleury, a researcher at the Paris Diderot University, studied the early stage of development when embryonic cells first form a flat sheet of cells before folding into a U-shape, resembling a folded ...

Physics / General Physics

created Aug 18, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (4) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

Genetic switch discovered that turns on pain

(PhysOrg.com) -- Aberdeen scientists have discovered a 'switch' that turns on a gene that lets us feel pain, in a finding that could be a step towards the development of new painkilling drugs.

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Dec 21, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Frozen flies may yield secrets for human organ transplants

When kitchens become infiltrated with fruit flies, especially during the dog days of summer, homeowners might wish that the flying pests would just turn to ice.

Biology / Biotechnology

created Aug 19, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers use light to switch on gene expression

Imagine being able to control genetic expression by flipping a light switch. Researchers at North Carolina State University are using light-activated molecules to turn gene expression on and off. Their method enables greater ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 10, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists achieve first rewire of genetic switches

Researchers in Manchester have successfully carried out the first rewire of genetic switches, creating what could be a vital tool for the development of new drugs and even future gene therapies.

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Jan 25, 2010 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Mutated gene in zebrafish sheds light on blindness in humans

Among zebrafish, the eyes have it. Inside them is a mosaic of light-sensitive cells whose structure and functions are nearly identical to those of humans. There, biologists at The Florida State University ...

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Mar 24, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Gene Associated with Rare Adrenal Disorder Appears To Trigger Cell Death

(PhysOrg.com) -- A gene implicated in Carney complex, a rare disorder of the adrenal glands, appears to function as a molecular switch to limit cell growth and division, according to a study by researchers at the National ...

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Jul 13, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0