Genetics & Molecular Biology

Biological Joints: What Was Once Old Will Be New Again

There once was a time when the parts you had were all you were going to get; when something went wrong that was that.    As science and medicine progressed in leaps during the 20th century replacement parts became available, like artificial joints, and sta ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 26 2012 - 10:53am

Deep Genomics And Our Chromatin Landscape

Why are  we forked creatures instead of tumbling beach balls of undifferentiated cells? An embryo begins by dividing into identical cells, but within hours these cells begin to make genetic decisions, turning off some genes and turning on others. So the ba ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 14 2011 - 11:54am

Role of phosphoenolpuruvate carboxylase in the salt resistance of maize hybrids

Ashwani Kumar1 and Sven Schubert2 Abstract Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPcase) catalyzes the first step in the fixation of atmospheric CO2 during C4 photosynthesis. Under saline conditions, Hatzig et al. (2010) found an increase in PEPcase activity ...

Blog Post - Ashwani Kumar - Jan 25 2011 - 1:59pm

Daphnia Pulex- More Genes Don't Make You Better But They May Help The Environment

Humans have about 23,000 genes and we are at the top of the food chain but the animal with the most genes is the near-microscopic freshwater crustacean Daphnia pulex, or water flea, clocking in around 31,000. Daphnia is the first crustacean to have its gen ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 3 2011 - 4:21pm

RIPs Alive And Well- Jumping Genes Captured In The Human Genome

The search for actively 'jumping' genes in humans has found new evidence that the genome contains numerous pesky mobile elements that may help to explain why people have such a variety of physical traits and disease risks.  Using bioinformatics, ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 4 2011 - 10:33pm

Non-coding DNA Function... Surprising?

The existence of functional, non-protein-coding DNA is all too frequently portrayed as a great surprise uncovered by genome sequencing projects, both in large media outlets and in scientific publications that should have better quality control in place. Er ...

Article - Michael White - Feb 10 2011 - 4:52pm

Osteocalcin- Hormone In Male Bones And Fertility Linked

The skeletal hormone osteocalcin also, boosts testosterone production to support the survival of the germ cells that go on to become mature sperm, say researchers writing in Cell. Bone was once thought of as a "mere assembly of inert calcified tubes&q ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 17 2011 - 3:07pm

Cloning Plant Seeds

Among environmental activists and their supporters, the use of genetic modification is a bad thing.   Obviously, tomatoes would be the size of our thumbs if our ancestors did not genetically modify plants so research continues.   A group of researchers has ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 25 2011 - 1:15pm

Get Ready For Better Apples- First Gene For Seedlessness Characterized

Bananas in their natural state have up to a hundred seeds but all commercial varieties that you see in stores are seedless.   Making seedless varieties made bananas wildly popular, which was good for the people who grow them and good for the people who eat ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 14 2011 - 3:13pm

Epigenetics: Is Stress Carried In Your DNA?

People may object to my calling for Ph.D. programs in Theoretical Phys Ed and Quantum Paleontology, but humor is not far off the mark.  Evolutionary psychology, for example, is practically self-ridiculing.    But I was somewhat intrigued by recent research ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Apr 7 2011 - 7:11pm