News tagged with plos genetics

Looking out for the Myanmar snub-nosed monkey

A new genetic study has shed light on how the newly discovered Myanmar snub-nosed monkey evolved.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 25, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Tiny plants could cut costs, shrink environmental footprint

Tall, waving corn fields that line Midwestern roads may one day be replaced by dwarfed versions that require less water, fertilizer and other inputs, thanks to a fungicide commonly used on golf courses.

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 15, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (6) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Maps of Miscanthus genome offer insight into grass evolution

Miscanthus grasses are used in gardens, burned for heat and energy, and converted into liquid fuels. They also belong to a prominent grass family that includes corn, sorghum and sugarcane. Two new, indepe ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 15, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Genetic packing: Successful stem cell differentiation requires DNA compaction, study finds

(Phys.org) -- New research findings show that embryonic stem cells unable to fully compact the DNA inside them cannot complete their primary task: differentiation into specific cell types that give rise to ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created May 11, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Whale population size, dynamics determined based on ancient DNA

Estimates of whale population size based on genetics versus historical records diverge greatly, making it difficult to fully understand the ecological implications of the large-scale commercial whaling of the 19th and early ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 09, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Robots learn to share, validating Hamilton's rule (w/ video)

Using simple robots to simulate genetic evolution over hundreds of generations, Swiss scientists provide quantitative proof of kin selection and shed light on one of the most enduring puzzles in biology: Why ...

Biology / Evolution

created May 03, 2011 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (14) | comments 13 | with audio podcast

Honeybee deaths linked to seed insecticide exposure

Honeybee populations have been in serious decline for years, and Purdue University scientists may have identified one of the factors that cause bee deaths around agricultural fields.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jan 12, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (18) | comments 25 | with audio podcast

Scientists discover human sperm gene is 600 million years old

Just as styles in sexy clothes or fashion change from year to year and culture to culture, "sexy" genes, or genes specific to sex, also change rapidly. But there is one sex-specific gene so vital, its function has remained ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jul 15, 2010 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (20) | comments 11 | with audio podcast

Most modern European males descend from farmers who migrated from the Near East

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study from the University of Leicester has found that most men in Europe descend from the first farmers who migrated from the Near East 10,000 years ago. The findings are published January 19 in the ...

Biology / Evolution

created Jan 19, 2010 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (11) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

Deadly bird parasite evolves at exceptionally fast rate

A new study of a devastating bird disease that spread from poultry to house finches in the mid-1990s reveals that the bacteria responsible for the disease evolves at an exceptionally fast rate. What's more, ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists reveal genetic mutation depicted in van Gogh's sunflower paintings

In addition to being among his most vibrant and celebrated works, Vincent van Gogh's series of sunflower paintings also depict a mutation whose genetic basis has, until now, been a bit of a mystery.

Biology / Biotechnology

created Mar 29, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (8) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Model suggests how life's code emerged from primordial soup

(PhysOrg.com) -- In 1953, Stanley Miller filled two flasks with chemicals assumed to be present on the primitive Earth, connected the flasks with rubber tubes and introduced some electrical sparks as a stand-in for lightning. ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Aug 07, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (20) | comments 15

Chimp populations show great genetic diversity, with implications for conservation

Chimpanzee populations living in close proximity are substantially more different genetically than humans living on different continents, according to a study published in PLoS Genetics. Research conducted by sci ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Mar 01, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Male sex chromosome losing genes by rapid evolution, study reveals

Scientists have long suspected that the sex chromosome that only males carry is deteriorating and could disappear entirely within a few million years, but until now, no one has understood the evolutionary ...

Biology / Evolution

created Jul 17, 2009 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (16) | comments 11

The code for survival: Cells fight stress by reprogramming a system of RNA modifications

(PhysOrg.com) -- When cells are exposed to life-threatening stresses, they take quick action to save themselves. Among other defenses, they start manufacturing proteins that perform critical tasks such as ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Dec 17, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

PLoS Genetics

PLoS Genetics is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that reflects the interdisciplinary nature of genetics and genomics research by publishing contributions in all areas of biology. The journal is indexed in PubMed Central, PubMed, and ISI Web of Knowledge.

For more information about PLoS Genetics, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.