Genetics & Molecular Biology

RNA Binding Proteins: Mystery Sequences Involved In Gene Regulation Decoded

Every cell in an organism's body has the same copy of DNA, though different cells do different things so some function as brain cells, while others form muscle tissue. How can the same DNA make different things happen? Science is a step closer to ans ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 10 2013 - 2:03pm

Junk RNA Finally Comes Out of the Garage

In 1953, the lightbulb went on for Watson and Crick, who first published the famous double helix 3-D structure of DNA. Structural biology soon became a hot field. Using high intensity X-ray beams, NMR, and other hardware advances, coupled with exponential ...

Blog Post - Bobby Knight - Jul 11 2013 - 11:37am

Genetic Secrets Of The Ground Tit, The World's Toughest Little Bird

Scientists have revealed the genetic secrets of how a small bird, Parus humilis  (ground tit) can survive in one of the most hostile environments on earth- the Tibetan plateau, the largest high-altitude land mass in the world. The study found molecular si ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 16 2013 - 10:05am

NKX2-8 Gene Mutation Linked To Spina Bifida

Neural tube defects affect more than 300,000 babies born around the world each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Neural tube defects, including anencephaly and spina bifida, are caused by the incomplete closure or dev ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 20 2013 - 1:00pm

Turning Off The Extra Chromosome In Down Syndrome

Gleaning from the natural process of X chromosome inactivation, scientists recently discovered a way to “turn off” the extra copy of chromosome 21 in Down syndrome, a strategy that might one day cure this disorder. ...

Article - Jennifer Wong - Jul 19 2013 - 3:31pm

Female Dominance: X Chromosome Is A Key Contributor To Sperm Production Too

The genetic sequence of the X chromosome, the female counterpart to the male-associated Y chromosome, reveals that large portions of the X have evolved to play a specialized role in sperm production. ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 21 2013 - 2:15pm

Faulty TGF-beta Genetic Pathway Implicated As The Root Of Allergies

Newly published research reveals that aberrant signaling by a protein called transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta- already known for its role in some connective tissue disorders) is also a potent player in many types of allergies.  Scientists have lo ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 25 2013 - 7:30am

Molecular Monkey Sometimes Throws A Wrench Into X-chromosome Activation

X chromosomes are special, even for genetic material. They differ in number between men and women and to achieve equality between sexes, one out of two X chromosomes in women is silenced. In Drosophila, the opposite happens: in male flies, the only availa ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 26 2013 - 1:31pm

Mosses: Simple Body Plan, A Lot Of Genetic Complexity

 Mosses are tiny plants with a simple body plan- they have no roots, no flowers and do not produce seeds. It was reasonable to assume they were also simple organisms also at the genetic level. Not so, a new study describes 32,275 protein-encoding genes fro ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 5 2013 - 10:30am

A Week On An Island Of Angst

I've just returned from a week on Kauai.  It is known as "The Garden Isle" of the Hawaiian chain, but recently that garden has been heavily sown with seeds of fear, suspicion, and conspiratorial narratives. On Wednesday, the 31 st of July, t ...

Article - Steve Savage - Aug 6 2013 - 10:41am