Bird genomes contain 'fossils' of parasites that now infect humans

In rare instances, DNA is known to have jumped from one species to another. If a parasite's DNA jumps to its host's genome, it could leave evidence of that parasitic interaction that could be found millions of years later—a ...

Researchers extend genetic code of an entire animal

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers Sebastian Greiss and Jason Chin of the Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, have succeeded in manipulating the DNA of a nematode such that a 21st protein was ...

Making microscopic worms into a more deadly insecticide

Microscopic nematode worms can be a potent organic insecticide, killing crop-raiding bugs without harming plants or beneficial insects and without environmental side effects of chemical. The problem is that when the worms ...

Worm pheromones trigger plant defenses, study finds

Plants can sense parasitic roundworms in the soil by picking up on their chemical signals, a team of researchers at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research (BTI), on the Cornell University campus, has found.

Chromosomes dance and pair up on the nuclear membrane (w/ Video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- Meiosis - the pairing and recombination of chromosomes, followed by segregation of half to each egg or sperm cell - is a major crossroads in all organisms reproducing sexually. Yet, how the cell precisely ...

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