New method of artificially creating genetic switches for yeast

A group of researchers from Kobe University and Chiba University has successfully developed a flexible and simple method of artificially producing genetic switches for yeast, a model eukaryotic organism. The group consisted ...

Plant gene found in insect, shields it from leaf toxins

Millions of years ago, aphid-like insects called whiteflies incorporated a portion of DNA from plants into their genome. A Chinese research team, publishing March 25th in the journal Cell, reveals that whiteflies use this ...

Genetics research sheds light on 'dark' portion of genome

Just as there is a mysterious dark matter that accounts for 85 percent of our universe, there is a "dark" portion of the human genome that has perplexed scientists for decades. A study published March 9, 2020, in Genome Research ...

Researchers discover how chlamydia takes up new DNA from host

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chlamydia trachomatis is the most commonly reported sexually transmitted bacterial disease in the U.S., totaling 1.7 million cases in 2017. Rates are highest among ...

Making systems robust

The human body keeps the calcium concentration in the blood constant, similarly to an aircraft's autopilot keeping the plane at a constant altitude. What they have in common is that both the body and the autopilot employ ...

Study suggests new targets for improving soybean oil content

Scientists working to increase soybean oil content tend to focus their efforts on genes known to impact the plant's seeds, but a Purdue University study shows that genes affecting other plant parts deserve more attention.

Facts, beliefs, and identity: The seeds of science skepticism

Psychological researchers are working to understand the cognitive processes, ideologies, cultural demands, and conspiracy beliefs that cause smart people to resist scientific messages. Using surveys, experiments, observational ...

Gatekeeping proteins to aberrant RNA—'You shall not pass'

They found that RNA-binding proteins are regulated such that gateway proteins can recognize and block aberrant strands of genetic code from exiting the nucleus. Unused messenger RNA (mRNA) strands that cannot exit the nucleus ...

page 3 from 9