A typo appearing in the draft of a novel is no great calamity. Nature, however, is often less forgiving of errors. A change in just one letter of the genetic code can have catastrophic consequences for human health.
Biotechnology
Feb 27, 2020
0
15
With the help of new genomic sequencing and assembly tools, plant scientists can learn more about the function and evolution of highly destructive plant pathogens that refuse to be tamed by fungicides, antibacterial, and ...
Biotechnology
Jan 29, 2020
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16
Clicks, squeaks, chirps, and buzzes...though they may be difficult to distinguish to our ears, such sounds are used by echolocating animals to paint a vivid picture of their surroundings. By generating a sound and then listening ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 29, 2020
0
31
"Jumping genes"—bits of DNA that can move from one spot in the genome to another—are well-known for increasing genetic diversity over the long course of evolution. Now, new research at Washington University School of ...
Biotechnology
Jan 24, 2020
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371
How did the monstrous giant squid—reaching school-bus size, with eyes as big as dinner plates and tentacles that can snatch prey 10 yards away—get so scarily big?
Biotechnology
Jan 16, 2020
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2197
To disarm toxic substances, many organisms including humans possess enzymes called flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs). Despite their importance, the structure of the enzymes has not been resolved, as the protein is too ...
Evolution
Dec 23, 2019
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133
For most of our evolutionary history—for most of the time anatomically modern humans have been on Earth—we've shared the planet with other species of humans. It's only been in the last 30,000 years, the mere blink of ...
Archaeology
Dec 19, 2019
6
3116
Genomic research has unlocked the capability to edit the genomes of living cells; yet so far, the effects of such changes must be examined in isolation. In contrast, the complex traits that are of interest in both fundamental ...
Biotechnology
Dec 19, 2019
0
87
Accurately reconstructing the relationships between different species requires analyzing the sequences of a judiciously selected, and preferably large, sample of different genes. Hybrid capture with high-throughput sequencing, ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 11, 2019
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3
Pseudomonas putida is a bacterium occuring in soil, aquatic environments and plants. Although the virulence of Pseudomonas p.—the ability of the bacterium to infect its host and inflict a disease—is considered to be low, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 6, 2019
0
3
