Genetics & Molecular Biology

Some regions of our genomes are under permanent lockdown because they are hazardous to our health- or at least the health of our future offspring. These secured regions include large swaths of parasite-infested DNA- DNA that contains transposable elements, ...

Article - Michael White - Apr 3 2009 - 1:34pm

No Hablo Cytokines: Cell-To-Cell Communication By Amino Acids

A team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Engineering in Medicine (MGH-CEM) has found the first evidence of cell-to-cell communication by amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, rather than by known protein signaling ag ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 3 2009 - 10:36pm

Making Biological Widgets

Today, if you like playing with electricity, you can hop over to Amazon and buy the Extreme Snap Circuits set and put together transistors, switches, lamps, motors, resistors, and capacitors to build all sorts of fun projects, from an auto-off night light ...

Article - Michael White - Apr 7 2009 - 1:16am

Is Love At First Sight Real? A Genetic Clue

Geneticists have tackled a question that has perplexed humanity since the dawn of time: does love at first sight truly exist? Maybe, according to a study published in the April 2009 issue of the journal GENETICS. A team of scientists from the United Stat ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 7 2009 - 1:30pm

The Future Of Biohacking: Nuclear Weapons Vs. Computer Viruses

The problem of how to model a biological system has been staring me in the face every day in recent months, and I need a place to indulge in baseless speculation. So if you stick around here at Adaptive Complexity for the next few weeks, you are going to g ...

Article - Michael White - Apr 8 2009 - 9:55am

Thymosin Beta-4 Molecule Prompts Damaged Cells To Repair Themselves After Heart Attack

A protein that the heart produces during its early development reactivates the embryonic coronary developmental program and initiates migration of heart cells and blood vessel growth after a heart attack, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 10 2009 - 11:22am

3D Structures Of Proteins That Control Circadian Rhythm Get Modeled

Researchers have reported that they have been able to determine the molecular structure of a plant photolyase protein that is surprisingly similar to two cryptochrome proteins that control the "master clock" in humans and other mammals. They have ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 11 2009 - 12:17am

MiR-96 Gene Implicated In Progressive Hearing Loss

In parallel human and mouse studies, two groups of researchers have come to the same conclusion: that a new kind of gene is associated with progressive hearing loss. The new gene, a microRNA, is a tiny fragment of RNA that affects the production of hundred ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 12 2009 - 5:42pm

Adipogenesis- Insulin Processing, Not Genetics, Causes Obesity

Researchers say they have uncovered new evidence suggesting factors other than genes could cause obesity, finding that genetically identical cells store widely differing amounts of fat depending on subtle variations in how cells process insulin. Findings ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 14 2009 - 7:37pm

Genetic Link To Proteinuria And Kidney Disease- Study

Genetic differences can influence one's risk of developing proteinuria, a condition that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 15 2009 - 6:27pm