Researchers at UC San Diego analyzed the genomes of hundreds of malaria parasites to determine which genetic variants are most likely to confer drug resistance.
Tag: Genomes
From vine to wine: decoding Malbec’s genetic diversity for clonal excellence
In a pioneering venture, scientists have completed the diploid genome assembly of the Malbec grapevine, illuminating the genetic factors that endow it with the capacity to yield exceptional wines.
Genomes of enigmatic tusk shells provide new insights into early Molluscan evolution
Accurate phylogenetic trees are fundamental to evolutionary and comparative biology, but the almost simultaneous emergence of major animal phyla and diverse body plans during the Cambrian Explosion poses major challenges to reconstructing deep metazoan phylogenetic relationships.
Illinois study reveals genetic secrets of America’s favorite snack
In its simplest form, popcorn is pretty uncomplicated. Most supermarket varieties offer the choice of two kernel colors, yellow or white, and two kernel shapes, pointed or pearl. When popped, the flake typically expands into one of two shapes: mushroom or butterfly. But there’s more to popcorn than meets the eye. New research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reveals a wealth of untapped diversity lurking in popcorn’s genetic code.
New method traces ancestry of hybrid plants and animals
In a recent article published in the journal Nature Communications, Binghamton University Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Adam Session and Daniel S. Rokhsar, a professor of genetics, evolution and development at the University of California, Berkeley, outline a way to trace these genomes back to the polypoid hybrid’s parent species.
Mosquito’s DNA could provide clues on gene expression, regulation
When it comes to DNA, one pesky mosquito turns out to be a rebel among species.
Darwin’s short-beak enigma solved
University of Utah biologists discovered that a mutation in the ROR2 gene is linked to beak size reduction in numerous breeds of domestic pigeons. Surprisingly, different mutations in ROR2 also underlie a human disorder called Robinow syndrome. The ROR2 signaling pathway plays an important role in the craniofacial development of all vertebrates.
Rutgers Professor Joan Bennett Elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Joan W. Bennett, a Distinguished Professor of plant biology and pathology at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. She joins neurosurgeon and CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center atmospheric scientist Ann Thompson and media entrepreneur and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey.
Genomes reveal new insights into iconic Aussie animals
The genomes of egg-laying monotreme mammals, platypus and echidna, today have been published in the prestigious journal Nature.
Picking Up Threads of Cotton Genomics
In Nature Genetics, a multi-institutional team including DOE Joint Genome Institute researchers sequenced and assembled the genomes of the five major cotton lineages to provide breeders with genetic level insights on crop improvements. The genomes are available on JGI’s plant data portal Phytozome.
Earliest interbreeding event between ancient human populations discovered
The study documented the earliest known interbreeding event between ancient human populations— a group known as the “super-archaics” in Eurasia interbred with a Neanderthal-Denisovan ancestor about 700,000 years ago. The event was between two populations more distantly related than any other recorded.
Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Coral Genomics Paper
New Brunswick, N.J. (Jan. 6, 2020) – By combining a range of biological data with the first successful genome editing experiments in corals, scientists are poised for rapid advancements in understanding how coral genes function, according to a paper in…
Rogers examines the effects of ancient microbes in new book
The idea of freezing a life in ice and thawing it out years, even centuries, later has been used extensively in novels, movies and comics. According to BGSU biology professor Scott Rogers in his new book this concept may be more fact than fiction, and the outcomes of this are just as worrying as they are exciting.