Genetics & Molecular Biology

A few brief days in embryonic life lays out our body's construction plan. The appearance of limbs and vertebrae is orchestrated by a family of 'architect' genes called Hox, each providing precise…

What with all the current talk of GMOs, I would remind folks here that some 20th century methods also raised fears.  A more “traditional” method has been to double the chromosome content of…

Female mosquitoes are predators of mammalian blood, relying on blood proteins to lay their eggs. While certain mosquito species are attracted to mammals by their emission of body heat and carbon…

Rogue wheat is growing in wheat fields in 127 countries around the world! Should consumers be concerned? Ok, I'm indulging in a poor imitation of the emotive language common in sensational…

Mouse studies have determined that a small molecule called natriuretic polypeptide b (Nppb) released in the spinal cord triggers a process that is later experienced in the brain as the sensation of…

Western Europe is a major net importer of food averaging 59 million metric tons during the years 2001 to 2010. That amount is similar to the net imports of all of Africa - a region with 2.5 times…

Camels, valuable in desert regions throughout the world because of their ability to carry heavy loads over long distances without food or water, are divided into two species, the one-humped dromedary…

There are some really cool improvements coming along in several crops that have been developed using the tools of biotechnology - GMOs if you will. Some of these innovations have consumer health…

Decades of focus on genes may have led the scientific community away from a balanced exploration of the organisms that those genes define - whether they be plants, animals or microorganisms - and…

Because energy resources in the body must be optimized as much as possible, a new paper says, tasks inherently related to survival, like immune function, take priority. Any leftover energy is…