Mouse genetic blueprint developed

Researchers have developed a valuable mouse genetic blueprint that will accelerate future research and understanding of human genetics. The international team, led by researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and ...

Tricky take-off kept pterodactyls grounded

A new study, which teamed cutting-edge engineering techniques with paleontology, has found that take-off capacity may have determined body size limits in extinct flying reptiles. The research simulated pterodactyl flight ...

New thesis maps the origin of colour vision

Roughly 500 million years ago, the genome of vertebrate animals' early ancestors doubled in size, not just once but twice. This meant that suddenly there were several gene copies which were free to develop new functions. ...

The fastest sperm may not be best

For sea squirts the key to a long and happy life is to be fertilized not by a fast sperm, but by one that stands the test of time, Dr Angela Crean, from the Evolution and Ecology Research Centre at the University of NSW, ...

New insights into how vascular networks form in fish brains

How the intricate network of blood vessels forms within the brain has long fascinated biologists. Though the human brain comprises only 2 percent of body weight it receives up to 15 percent of the cardiac output through this ...