Genetics & Molecular Biology

Genetic Modification Of Peaches In 5,500 BC

If you enjoy a sweet, fleshy peach today, give some thanks to scientifically minded, free-market farmers in China 7,500 years ago. A new analysis has found that the domestic peaches popular worldwide today can trace their ancestry back to the lower Yangtze ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 6 2014 - 12:24pm

Single-Celled Organism Smashes And Rebuilds Its Own Genome

A new study has found that the pond-dwelling, single-celled organism Oxytricha trifallax has the remarkable ability to break its own DNA into nearly a quarter-million pieces and will then rapidly reassemble those pieces when it's time to mate. Why? N ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 8 2014 - 3:02pm

Unusual Biochemistry: Fat Proteins Interact Directly With Mitochondria

Researchers have revealed an unusual biochemical connection: ft (Fat) genes interact directly with mitochondria in cells. Mitochondria are the primary sources of energy production within our cells and there are some 200 pathologies linked to mitochondrial ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 11 2014 - 6:00pm

When Remodeling Is Destruction: How Cartilage Contributes To Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis causes chronic pain and inflammation in joints, such as those in the hands and feet, as well as knees and hips. Over time, rheumatoid arthritis can destroy the cartilage that lubricates and cushions the joints. In essence, it 're ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 14 2014 - 12:00pm

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Reset To Pristine State

A decade ago there was mass hysteria among the fringes of science academia because American President George W. Bush limited federal funding for human embryonic stem cells to existing lines. Accompanying claims were that Alzheimer's Disease wouldn ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 14 2014 - 2:00pm

Archea Domain: New Producer Of Vitamin B12 Discovered

Vitamin B12 is an essential molecule required by most life on this planet but it is only produced by a relatively small group of microorganisms due to its large size and complexity. For us, vitamin B12 plays a key role in maintaining the brain and nervous ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 15 2014 - 4:30pm

Pseudouridine: RNA Modifications In Some Unexpected Places

That DNA makes RNA which makes protein is a simplified explanation molecular biologists use to explain for how genetic information is deciphered and translated in living organisms. The process is more complicated than the schema first articulated nearly 6 ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 16 2014 - 7:00am

Creating 480 Varieties Of Wheat Is Deserving Of The World Food Prize

There is never enough of this golden beauty. Credit: bradhigham, CC BY By Angela White, University of Sheffield ...

Article - The Conversation - Sep 17 2014 - 1:30pm

Iberian Pig Genome Unchanged For The Last 500 Years

Humans may think we are eating paleo- like ancient ancestors- or organic- like before the advent of modern fertilizers and pesticides in the early 1800s- but nothing could be further from the truth. The microbiome of today shares little in common with peo ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 17 2014 - 11:30am

Researchers Discover How Circular RNA Is Created

Circular RNA were discovered a few years ago, but their role in our bodies is poorly understood.  Our genetic information is stored in DNA, tiny strands of nucleic acid that contain instructions for the functioning of our bodies. To express this genetic da ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 19 2014 - 6:30am