Related topics: current biology · fruit flies

So-called 'junk' DNA plays a key role in speciation

More than 10 percent of our genome is made up of repetitive, seemingly nonsensical stretches of genetic material called satellite DNA that do not code for any proteins. In the past, some scientists have referred to this DNA ...

Amino acid in fruit fly intestines found to regulate sleep

A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in China has found that an amino acid made in fruit fly intestines plays a key role in regulating their sleep. In their paper published in the journal Nature Communications, ...

Reading the dark heart of chromosomes

Although the genomes of thousands of plant and animal species have been sequenced, for most of these genomes a significant portion is missing—the highly repetitive DNA. In the midst of these mysterious genome compartments ...

Snap of fruit fly embryo wins scientific photo competition

An eye-catching image of a fruit fly embryo, which was taken by a postgraduate student at the University of Sheffield, has beaten-off stiff competition from hundreds of entries to win an award at a special photographic competition ...

Fruit flies watch the sky to stay on course

Insects, equipped with complex compound eyes, can maintain a constant heading in their travels, some of them for thousands of miles. New research demonstrates that fruit flies keep their bearings by using the polarization ...

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