Gene enhancers important despite apparent redundancy

Every cell in the body has the same DNA and genes, so a cell's properties and functions are determined by which genes are turned on. That's why it is critical to understand enhancers, short sections of non-coding DNA that ...

Discovery of why emus are grounded takes flight

Researchers from Monash University's Biomedicine Discovery Institute have helped solve the mystery of how emus became flightless, identifying a gene involved in the development and evolution of bird wings.

Print your own body parts

John Nhial was barely a teenager when he was grabbed by a Sudanese guerrilla army and forced to become a child soldier. He was made to endure weeks of walking with so little food and water that some of his fellow captives ...

New signal involved in limb growth found in flies

Many of the secrets of life, such as terminal size and shape, have been uncovered in studies performed over a century involving animal models such as the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Now, IRB Barcelona researchers headed ...

Evolutionary biology: Why cattle only have two toes

During evolutionary diversification of vertebrate limbs, the number of toes in even-toed ungulates such as cattle and pigs was reduced and transformed into paired hooves. Scientists at the University of Basel have identified ...

Unraveling the mechanisms behind organ regeneration in zebrafish

The search for the holy grail of regenerative medicine -- the ability to "grow back" a perfect body part when one is lost to injury or disease -- has been under way for years, yet the steps involved in this seemingly magic ...

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