Genetics & Molecular Biology

Key Allergy Gene Discovered

Together with colleagues from the Department of Dermatology and Allergy and the Center for Allergy and Environment (ZAUM) of the Technische Universität München, scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München have pinpointed a major gene for allergic diseases. ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 23 2008 - 12:28am

Discovery- The Cause Of Hereditary Disease PCH

The hereditary disease ponto cerebellar hypoplasia (PCH) occurs when certain areas of the brain do not develop properly; this results in severe mental and physical developmental disorders. Life expectancy of those affected ranges from a few months to a few ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 31 2008 - 10:56am

Non-Disclosure Agreements for First Dates

Michael Creighton's latest thriller, Next, presents all sorts of what-if scenarios for the genetic community. While most of us will not have to deal with foul-mouthed orangutans or smart-ass parrots, a recent report published in the Proceedings of the ...

Blog Post - Michael Windelspecht - Oct 22 2008 - 11:02pm

Synthetic Protein Factories

The genetic code is the metabolic instructions by which the genetic information in the DNA is translated into a protein. The fact that almost all organisms use the same code is prime evidence that all life is related in its evolutionary past. The code is c ...

Blog Post - Michael Windelspecht - Oct 22 2008 - 10:57pm

Better Beer On Tap- Scientists Identify Genomic Origins Of Lager Yeasts

Yeast, the essential microorganism for fermentation in the brewing of beer, converts carbohydrates into alcohol and other products that influence appearance, aroma, and taste. In a study published online today in Genome Research, researchers have identifi ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 3 2015 - 5:40pm

Is this really why we sequenced the human genome?

I usually like Nicolas Wade, but this very first sentence of a piece in this week's NY Times science section is not right: The principal rationale for the $3 billion spent to decode the human genome was that it would enable the discovery of the varian ...

Blog Post - Michael White - Oct 22 2008 - 10:34pm

Genetically Modified Crops With Built-In Insecticide Also Protects Neighboring Crops- Study

A study in northern China indicates that genetically modified cotton, altered to express the insecticide Bt, not only reduces pest populations among those crops, but also reduces pests among other nearby crops that have not been modified with Bt. These fin ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 18 2008 - 10:52pm

LRRK2 in the News

The recent announcement that Sergey Brin, the multibillionair co-founder of Google, has discovered that he possesses a genetic mutation that predisposes him to a form of Parkinson's disease has resulted in multiple stories in the news on the "gen ...

Blog Post - Michael Windelspecht - Oct 22 2008 - 10:29pm

1001 Genomes Project- First Genomes Of Wild Arabidopsis Thaliana Strains

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tuebingen, Germany, have reported the completion of the first genomes of wild strains of the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana as part of the 1001 Genomes Project. The entire genomes o ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 29 2008 - 9:04pm

DNA Profiling And Forensic Science Summit Held Today, Shown Live On Webcast

I am obsessed with CSI (excluding CSI Miami, David Caruso is just too smarmy). I simply can’t help it. I will watch an episode of CSI that I have already seen twice, just for the thrill of seeing the cases unfold. I even downloaded the entire first season ...

Article - Erin Richards - Sep 30 2008 - 1:23pm