(Phys.org) —Transposons are DNA elements that can multiply and change their location within an organism's genome. Discovered in the 1940s, for years they were thought to be unimportant and were called "junk DNA." Also ...
Biotechnology
Aug 15, 2013
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When you hear the word "mutations", you probably think of something negative like heritable diseases. But mutations also mean genetic diversity and are at the centre of evolution. Researchers have now uncovered a surprisingly ...
Biotechnology
Aug 14, 2013
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A Dartmouth-led team has discovered a group of stress-related proteins that explains how plants avoid sunburn in intense light, a finding that one day could help biotechnologists to develop crops that can better cope with ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 6, 2013
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Drought resistance is the key to large-scale production of Jatropha, a potential biofuel plant—and an international group of scientists has identified the first step toward engineering a hardier variety.
Biotechnology
Jul 15, 2013
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Photosynthesis takes place in specialized membrane systems, made up of stacked disks linked together by unstacked planar leaflets. A team of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich has now identified a protein that ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 10, 2013
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Although thousands of entire genomes have been sequenced, our understanding of their detailed workings remains far from complete. Researchers continue to find new genes, determine their function, and map how they interact ...
Biotechnology
May 10, 2013
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The plant hormones known as gibberellins (GAs) are growth promoters that are involved in a wide range of processes from seed germination to flower development. The details of the biosynthesis of GAs, however, have yet to ...
Biotechnology
May 2, 2013
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In recent decades, research into a diminutive plant, Arabidopsis thalania, which goes through daily life as a common weed, has generated a tremendous amount of knowledge. Much of the research on Arabidopsis, which has meanwhile ...
Biotechnology
Apr 9, 2013
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(Phys.org) —Xylan is a polysaccharide composed of pentoses – five carbon sugars – that represents a double-edged sword for advanced biofuels. On the one hand, as the world's second most abundant source of biomass after ...
Biotechnology
Apr 2, 2013
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(Phys.org) —Like animals, plants go through several stages of development before they reach maturity. It has long been thought that some of the transitions between these stages are triggered by changes in the nutritional ...
Biotechnology
Mar 28, 2013
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