A number of existing strains of SARS-CoV-2, as well as other future variants that could arise, have the potential to escape the immune system's cytotoxic T cell response in some portion of the population. That's the conclusion ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Feb 10, 2022
0
797
Caribou (known as reindeer in Europe) make one of the longest seasonal migrations of land animals, but an individual's propensity to migrate depends on its genetic ancestry, Maria Cavedon at the University of Calgary in Canada ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 10, 2022
0
47
CRISPR-Cas9, the "genetic scissors," creates new potential for curing diseases, but treatments must be reliable. In a new study, researchers have discovered that the method can give rise to unforeseen changes in DNA that ...
Biotechnology
Feb 2, 2022
0
79
A new study by a team of researchers from Israel and Ghana has brought the first evidence of nonrandom mutation in human genes, challenging a core assumption at the heart of evolutionary theory by showing a long-term directional ...
Evolution
Jan 31, 2022
6
1768
Popular belief has been that small dogs, such as Pomeranians and Chihuahuas, exist because once dogs were domesticated, humans wanted small, cute companions. But in the journal Current Biology on January 27, researchers at ...
Evolution
Jan 27, 2022
0
1492
Sometimes the smallest action can have unintended consequences, like the proverbial flap of a butterfly's wings. So, when making small changes, it's important to be alert to large effects, such as when using gene editing ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 19, 2022
0
6
The shape of a cell affects its physical and chemical properties. Different cell types have developed different shapes to enable effective functioning. But what shape were the very first cells, as life began to evolve?
Evolution
Jan 12, 2022
0
98
A mutated protein causes the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. Now, researchers have solved the structure of the protein and how certain drugs bind to it, unveiling their mode of action.
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 7, 2022
0
590
Natural evolution is a slow process that relies on the gradual accumulation of genetic mutations. In recent years, scientists have found ways to speed up the process on a small scale, allowing them to rapidly create new proteins ...
Biotechnology
Dec 30, 2021
1
736
Each one of the trillions of cells that make up the human body suffers more than 10,000 DNA lesions every day. These injuries would be catastrophic if cells were unable to repair them, but a very delicate machinery that detects ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 28, 2021
0
254
