Scientists discover hybrid swarm in global mega-pest
CSIRO scientists have confirmed the hybridisation of two of the world's major pest species, into a new and improved mega-pest.
Biotechnology news
Apr 06, 2018
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Breakthrough in battle against rice blast
Scientists have found a way to stop the spread of rice blast, a fungus that destroys up to 30% of the world's rice crop each year.
Photosynthesis uses vibrations as 'traffic signals'
Researchers have discovered a new role for protein vibrations in controlling the transformation of sunshine into useful energy. The study illuminates a mechanism that could help design better solar materials.
Sweet potato history casts doubt on early contact between Polynesia and the Americas
Evidence reported in the journal Current Biology on April 12 shows that sweet potatoes arose before there were any humans around to eat them. The findings also suggest that the sweet potato crossed the ocean from America ...
Wheat research discovery yields genetic secrets that could shape future crops
A new study has isolated a gene controlling shape and size of spikelets in wheat in a breakthrough which could help breeders deliver yield increases in one of the world's most important crops.
Breakthrough brings gene-editing medicine one step closer to patient applications
Imagine a future where a guided biomachine put into your body seeks out defective gene sequences in each cell and edits in the correct information with precision accuracy.
Scientists discover a role for 'junk' DNA
Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have determined how satellite DNA, considered to be "junk DNA," plays a crucial role in holding the genome together.
Engineers pioneer greener and cheaper technique for biofuel production
A team of engineers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) recently discovered that a naturally occurring bacterium, Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum TG57, isolated from waste generated after harvesting ...
Let them eat xylose: Yeast engineered to grow efficiently on novel nutrients
Researchers at Tufts University have created a genetically modified yeast that can more efficiently consume a novel nutrient, xylose, enabling the yeast to grow faster and to higher cell densities, raising the prospect of ...
Gene responsible for electric fish 'spark' found in South American ghost knifefish
Unique genetic re-wiring of a sodium channel explains how a family of electric fish can generate the highest frequency of electrical discharge seen in any animal. In a study publishing 27 March in the open access journal ...
