Enlarging windows into understanding gene functions

In a text file, the rows of letters A, T, C and G appearing over and over in a dizzying array of combinations, are unremarkable, save perhaps for the absence of all the other letters of the alphabet. Yet the specific sequence ...

Mapping of genetic control elements in the cerebellum

The mammalian cerebellum has long been associated almost exclusively with motor control, yet recent studies indicate that it also contributes to many higher brain functions. An international research team led by Prof. Dr. ...

Scientists identify networks for spikelet formation in barley

Organ development in plants mostly occurs through combinatorial activity of so-called meristems. Meristems are plant cells or tissues that give rise to new organs, similar to stem cells in human—including spikelets. Spikelets ...

New insight into mammalian stem cell evolution

The genes regulating pluripotent stem cells in mammals are surprisingly similar across 48 species, Kyoto University researchers report in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution. The study also shows that differences among ...

Evolutionary conflicts predicted

Evolution seems to be an unpredictable process. However, predicting the constraints of evolution is possible. Researchers from AMOLF and the French ESPCI have demonstrated this using their mathematical method, followed by ...

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 ...

Can you evolve while being robust?

It was long thought that DNA, together with the genes encoded in it, determined genetic destiny. But equally important is coordinating when genes are turned on and off. In fact, the regulation of gene expression defines life ...

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