Scientists reveal the genetic roadmap to building an entire organism from a single cell
Whether a worm, a human or a blue whale, all multicellular life begins as a single-celled egg.
Biology news
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Ants found to use trapping technique to capture much larger prey
Two researchers, one with Biofaction in Austria, the other with Université de Toulouse in France, report an example of ants (Azteca brevis) in Costa Rica who have developed a truly unique way of capturing prey that are much ...
Did last ice age affect breastfeeding in Native Americans?
The critical role that breast feeding plays in infant survival may have led, during the last ice age, to a common genetic mutation in East Asians and Native Americans that also, surprisingly, affects the shape of their teeth.
CRISPR used to genetically edit coral, researchers report
Coral reefs on the precipice of collapse may get a conservation boost from the gene-editing tool known as CRISPR, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and their collaborators.
Earth BioGenome Project aims to sequence DNA from all complex life on Earth
An international consortium of scientists is proposing what is arguably the most ambitious project in the history of biology: sequencing the DNA of all known eukaryotic species on Earth.
Unprecedented wave of large-mammal extinctions linked to ancient humans
Homo sapiens, Neanderthals and other recent human relatives may have begun hunting large mammal species down to size - by way of extinction - at least 90,000 years earlier than previously thought, says a new study published ...
Genome Jenga study reveals unexpected gene alliances in the cell
To understand how a cell works, biologists like to take it apart. By removing genes from cells in diverse combinations, researchers have now uncovered how different genes work together to keep cells alive. The research will ...
Genetic adaptations to diving discovered in humans for the first time
Evidence that humans can genetically adapt to diving has been identified for the first time in a new study. The evidence suggests that the Bajau, a people group indigenous to parts of Indonesia, have genetically enlarged ...
Laryngeal muscles found to be underdeveloped compared to articulatory muscles, explaining poor human singing
A trio of researchers, one with Bloorview Research Institute in Canada, the other two with the University of Maastricht in The Netherlands, has found that human laryngeal muscles are less well developed than articulatory ...
Scientists discover a pathway that monitors a protein import into mitochondria
If there's one fact that most people retain from elementary biology, it's that mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell. As such, they break down molecules and manufacture new ones to generate the fuel necessary for life. ...
