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Multiple methods for microbial diversity in one lake

Researchers sequenced, assembled and analyzed bacterial genomes from a nine-year study tracking the evolution of microbial communities in a Wisconsin freshwater lake.

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Designing gene therapy

Scientists at EMBL have increased the efficiency of a genome-engineering tool called Sleeping Beauty, which is showing promise in clinical trials of therapies for leukaemia and lymphoma. In a study...

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Comparative analysis highlights impacts of previous breeding programs on...

For nearly a billion people around the world, cassava is a staple crop and a primary source of calories. The plant is easy to cultivate—cuttings grow well on marginal land—and it is very tolerant of...

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Modern DNA reveals ancient male population explosions linked to migration and...

The largest ever study of global genetic variation in the human Y chromosome has uncovered the hidden history of men. Research published today (25 April) in Nature Genetics reveals explosions in male...

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Cells check DNA segregation at the end of their division

The cells in our bodies are constantly dividing. From embryonic development to adult life, cell division is necessary for tissue growth and renewal. During division, cells must duplicate their genetic...

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Natural selection sculpts genetic information to limit diversity

A study of butterflies suggests that when a species adapts, other parts of its genetic make-up  can be linked to that adaptation, limiting diversity in the population.

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Losing genes and surviving—when less is more in the evolution of life

"Loss is nothing else but change and change is nature's delight" says the quote by the philosopher and emperor Marcus Aurelius, which opens a scientific article that analyses the gene loss phenomenon...

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How Chinese cabbage and white cabbage became alike

White cabbage and Chinese cabbage have a lot in common: both have leaves that wrap tightly around each other to form a leafy head. Remarkably, however, these two crops originate from two different...

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Israeli scientists say they can block melanoma spread

Israeli scientists have uncovered how the most severe form of skin cancer spreads to other organs in a discovery that could revolutionise treatment of the disease, they said Tuesday.

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'Ghost snake' discovered in Madagascar

Researchers discovered a new snake species in Madagascar and named it "ghost snake" for its pale grey coloration and elusiveness. They found the ghost snake on a recently opened path within the...

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Team studies how selfish genes cause male sterility in flowering plants

Why are plants often sterile when their parents are from different species? How do species remain separate entities in nature?

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Chemical origami yields new plant compounds with therapeutic and economic...

Plants—from the maple or the yew tree to the corn in roadside fields—produce countless kinds of compounds, also known as natural products, that the plants manufacture using the enzymes predetermined by...

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Why the flounder is flat

Flatfish are some of the most unusual vertebrate animals on our planet. They start out their life fully symmetrical, like any other fish, but undergo a spectacular metamorphosis where the symmetric...

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Stabilizing evolutionary forces keep ants strong

Hokkaido University researchers are finding evidence of natural selection that maintains the status quo among ant populations.

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The bovine heritage of the yak

Though placid enough to be managed by humans, yaks are robust enough to survive at 4000 meters altitude. Genomic analyses by researchers of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich show that yak...

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Geneticists track the evolution of parenting

University of Georgia researchers have confirmed that becoming a parent brings about more than just the obvious offspring—it also rewires the parents' brain.

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Cultivated scallops populations develop distinct genetic structure

The scallop is one of the largest edible molluscs, and gourmets consider it to be a great delicacy. To meet this demand, the fishing industry cultivates these shellfish in coastal aquafarms. In a new...

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Agriculture, dietary changes, and adaptations in fat metabolism from ancient...

Good vs bad cholesterol. Margarine vs butter. Red meat vs. vegan. The causal links between fats and health have been a hotly debated topic for scientists, physicians and the public.

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How Australia's animals and plants are changing to keep up with the climate

Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing Australia's wildlife, plants and ecosystems, a point driven home by two consecutive years of mass coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef.

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How to hack a cell: New platform makes it easier to program living cells

The human body is made up of trillions of cells, microscopic computers that carry out complex behaviors according to the signals they receive from each other and their environment. Synthetic biologists...

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Committee responds to critique of gene engineering report

Providing blanket approval or condemnation of all genetically engineered (GE) crops oversimplifies a complex issue and ignores the continued need for scrutiny, risk assessment and debate among various...

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Highly safe biocontainment strategy hopes to encourage greater use of GMOs

Use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) - microorganisms not found in the natural world but developed in labs for their beneficial characteristics - is a contentious issue.

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New cellular imaging paves way for cancer treatment

Researchers at the Universities of York and Leiden have pioneered a technique which uses florescent imaging to track the actions of key enzymes in cancer, genetic disorders and kidney disease.

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Scientists link biodiversity genomics with museum wisdom through new public...

A new publically available database will catalog metadata associated with biologic samples, making it easier for researchers to share and reuse genetic data for environmental and ecological analyses.

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Large-scale study of genetic data shows humans still evolving

In a study analyzing the genomes of 210,000 people in the United States and Britain, researchers at Columbia University find that the genetic variants linked to Alzheimer's disease and heavy smoking...

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Evolutionary geneticists spot natural selection happening now in people

Human evolution can seem like a phenomenon of the distant past which applies only to our ancestors living millions of years ago. But human evolution is ongoing. To evolve simply means that mutations –...

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Passenger pigeon genome shows effects of natural selection in a huge population

The passenger pigeon is famous for the enormity of its historical population in North America (estimated at 3 to 5 billion) and for its rapid extinction in the face of mass slaughter by humans. Yet it...

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Mice help find gene for bad breath

An international team of researchers has identified a cause for chronic bad breath (halitosis), with the help of gene knockout mice from the UC Davis Mouse Biology Program. The results are published...

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Biologists create toolkit for tuning genetic circuits

Rice University scientists have created a toolkit for synthetic biologists who need to precisely tune the input and output levels of genetic circuits.

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Digging deep into distinctly different DNA

A University of Queensland discovery has deepened our understanding of the genetic mutations that arise in different tissues, and how these are inherited.

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