Interplay between genes and the environment has been pondered at least since the phrase "nature versus nurture" was coined in the mid-1800s. But until the arrival of modern genomic sequencing tools, it was hard to measure ...
Biotechnology
Dec 12, 2013
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Only a few genetic changes are needed to spur the evolution of new species—even if the original populations are still in contact and exchanging genes. Once started, however, evolutionary divergence evolves rapidly, ultimately ...
Evolution
Oct 31, 2013
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(Phys.org) —For the first time, a group of researchers has succeeded in isolating DNA from pearls and used their genetic material to identify the specific species of oyster that produced the pearl. In a parallel project, ...
Biotechnology
Oct 16, 2013
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Since its discovery, researchers have hailed Cas9—a protein "machine" that can be programmed by a strand of RNA to target specific DNA sequences and to precisely cut, paste, and turn on or turn off genes—as a potential ...
Biotechnology
Sep 26, 2013
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Most readers are aware of the benefits of using vaccines to boost the immune system and prevent infectious disease. Many readers will not be aware of a very different disease prevention tool: supplementing vitamins in crops ...
Biotechnology
Sep 23, 2013
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How and why fish swim in schools has long fascinated biologists looking for clues to understand the complexities of social behavior. A new study by a team of researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center may help ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 12, 2013
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(Phys.org) —According to Benjamin Franklin, "nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." But what if Franklin had it wrong—at least about death? University of Georgia ecologist Richard P. Shefferson explored ...
Ecology
Sep 5, 2013
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Japanese scientists have launched a sperm bank for endangered animals that uses freeze-drying technology they hope could one day help humans recreate animal populations on other planets, the chief researcher said Wednesday.
Plants & Animals
Aug 28, 2013
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In a pioneer study published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Nature Communications, a research team at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC; Portugal), led by Miguel Godinho Ferreira in collaboration with ...
Biotechnology
Aug 23, 2013
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Out of the estimated 23,000 or more genes in the human genome, about 100 of them will differ—they will be present or not—between any two individuals. Genes lost or gained over time result from evolution and adaptation, ...
Biotechnology
Aug 9, 2013
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