News tagged with mitochondrial

New study suggests polar bears evolved earlier than previously thought

(Phys.org) -- A new genetic analysis carried out by and international team of scientists has revealed that polar bears and brown bears may have diverged around 600,000 years ago, which is much earlier than ...

Biology / Evolution

created Apr 20, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (3) | comments 69 | with audio podcast report

What, or who, killed the last mammoths?

The last known population of woolly mammoths, roaming a remote Arctic island long after humans invented writing, were wiped out quickly, reports a study released Wednesday.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Mar 31, 2010 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (7) | comments 3

Ancient penguin DNA raises doubts about accuracy of genetic dating techniques

Penguins that died 44,000 years ago in Antarctica have provided extraordinary frozen DNA samples that challenge the accuracy of traditional genetic aging measurements, and suggest those approaches have been ...

Biology / Evolution

created Nov 10, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (23) | comments 16

Australia discovered by the 'Southern Route'

Genetic research indicates that Australian Aborigines initially arrived via south Asia. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology have found telltale mutations in modern-day Indian populations that a ...

Biology / Evolution

created Jul 21, 2009 | popularity 3.8 / 5 (9) | comments 1

'Great speciators' explained: It's intrinsic

New molecular research shows that birds within the family Zosteropidae—named white eyes for the feathers that frame their eyes—form new species at a faster rate than any other known bird. Remarkably, unlike ...

Biology /

created Jan 26, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Forensic science used to determine who's who in pre-Columbian Peru

Analysis of ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been used to establish migration and population patterns for American indigenous cultures during the time before Christopher Columbus sailed to the Americas. ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Apr 23, 2012 | popularity 3 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Genetic study unravels ancient links between African and European populations

Large numbers of people moved between Africa and Europe during recent and well-documented time periods such as the Roman Empire, the Arab conquest, and the slave trade, and genetic evidence of these migrations lives on in ...

Biology / Evolution

created Mar 26, 2012 | popularity 3 / 5 (7) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

The Viking journey of mice and men

House mice (Mus musculus) happily live wherever there are humans. When populations of humans migrate the mice often travel with them. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology h ...

Biology / Evolution

created Mar 19, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

High-energy lifestyles led to evolution of the sexes

Scientists are a step closer to explaining one of the most enduring mysteries of modern biology; why are there males and females?

Biology / Evolution

created Dec 19, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Endangered horse has ancient origins and high genetic diversity, new study finds

An endangered species of horse -- known as Przewalski's horse -- is much more distantly related to the domestic horse than researchers had previously hypothesized, reports a team of investigators led by Kateryna ...

Biology / Evolution

created Sep 07, 2011 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (7) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Ancestry of polar bears traced to Ireland

An international team of scientists has discovered that the female ancestor of all living polar bears was a brown bear that lived in the vicinity of present-day Britain and Ireland just prior to the peak of ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jul 07, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

The body's power stations can affect aging

Mitochondria are the body's energy producers, the power stations inside our cells. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have now identified a group of mitochondrial proteins, the absence of ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created May 10, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers uncover new role for mitochondria during RNA processing

Michael Frohman, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Pharmacological Sciences at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, and colleagues, have discovered a new role for mitochondria during ribonucleic acid (RNA) processing. ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Mar 16, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Contagious cancer thrives in dogs by adopting host's genes

An curious contagious cancer, found in dogs, wolves and coyotes, can repair its own genetic mutations by adopting genes from its host animal, according to a new study in the journal Science.

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Jan 20, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 2 | with audio podcast

When less is more: How mitochondrial signals extend lifespan

In making your pro-longevity resolutions, like drinking more red wine and maintaining a vibrant social network, here's one you likely forgot: dialing down your mitochondria. It turns out that slowing the engines ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Jan 06, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast