Hidden burden: Most people carry recessive disease mutations
Humans carry an average of one to two mutations per person that can cause severe genetic disorders or prenatal death when two copies of the same mutation are inherited, according to estimates published...
View ArticleMassively parallel gene function assays aim to reduce uncertainty of genetic...
Patients seeking certainty in genetic tests often receive a perplexing result. Many learn they carry a 'variant of unknown significance' of a disease-linked gene. Such variants might—or equally might...
View ArticleHealth records and genetic data from more than 100,000 Californians power...
By volunteering to mail saliva to researchers working with their health care provider, thousands of people in California have helped build one of the nation's most powerful medical research tools. The...
View ArticleTiny genetic tweak unlocked corn kernels during domestication
If not for a single genetic mutation, each kernel on a juicy corn cob would be trapped inside a inedible casing as tough as a walnut shell. The mutation switches one amino acid for another at a...
View ArticleModeling the promise and peril of gene drive: New paper helps assess the...
What if we could eradicate malaria by engineering a mosquito population that doesn't transmit the disease? What if we could control invasive species that outcompete natural populations? What if we...
View ArticleFearful chickens and worried mice: Shared genetic influences on anxiety
Chickens that chicken out in unfamiliar surroundings may shed light on anxiety in humans, according to research published in the January issue of the journal Genetics, a publication of the Genetics...
View ArticleThe evolution of Dark-fly
On November 11, 1954, Syuiti Mori turned out the lights on a small group of fruit flies. More than sixty years later, the descendents of those flies have adapted to life without light. These flies—a...
View ArticleMolecule induces lifesaving sleep in worms
Sometimes, a nematode worm just needs to take a nap. In fact, its life may depend on it. New research has identified a protein that promotes a sleep-like state in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans....
View ArticleWine yeast genomes lack diversity
Sequencing the genomes of hundreds of strains of the wine yeast S. cerevisiae has revealed little genetic diversity and high levels of inbreeding. In many cases, yeast strains sold by different...
View ArticleFirst gene linked to temperature sex switch
The sex of many reptile species is set by temperature. New research reported in the journal GENETICS identifies the first gene associated with temperature-dependent sex determination in any reptile....
View ArticleInbred Neanderthals left humans a genetic burden
The Neanderthal genome included harmful mutations that made the hominids around 40% less reproductively fit than modern humans, according to estimates published in the latest issue of the journal...
View Article'Omics' data improves breast cancer survival prediction
Precise predictions of whether a tumor is likely to spread would help clinicians and patients choose the best course of treatment. But current methods fall short of the precision needed. New research...
View ArticleViruses revealed to be a major driver of human evolution
The constant battle between pathogens and their hosts has long been recognized as a key driver of evolution, but until now scientists have not had the tools to look at these patterns globally across...
View ArticleGenetically improving sorghum for production of biofuel
The bioenergy crop sorghum holds great promise as a raw material for making environmentally friendly fuels and chemicals that offer alternatives to petroleum-based products. Sorghum can potentially...
View ArticleLife at the extremes: What cold-loving organisms can tell us about adaptation...
In Antarctic waters that would kill a person within minutes happily dwells a tiny, single-celled organism known as Euplotes focardii. In a new study, researchers from Italy's University of Camerino...
View ArticleCave-dwelling fish could provide clues to staying healthy with diabetes
Cavefish that live in dark caves with only sporadic access to food show symptoms similar to diabetes, but don't appear to experience any health problems. New findings presented at The Allied Genetics...
View ArticleYour best diet might depend on your genetics
If you've ever seen a friend have good results from a diet but then not been able to match those results yourself, you may not be surprised by new findings in mice that show that diet response is...
View ArticleDeciphering the mutations behind drug resistance
Antimicrobial resistance in disease-causing microbes has garnered attention in recent years, but another persistent area of drug resistance is the ability for tumors to evade chemotherapy drugs....
View ArticleBrain cell death in Alzheimer's linked to structural flaw
Researchers have identified a new biological pathway involved in Alzheimer's disease. In experiments using fruit flies, blocking the pathway reduced the death of brain cells, suggesting that...
View ArticleNew screening method uses tiny worms to seek serum for healthy aging
A new screening approach uses several types of roundworms to identify chemicals that might one day help people stay healthy longer. Researchers will present initial findings from their search for...
View ArticleNew insights on how cells regrow after being sliced in half
For a single celled organism, as with many cells, cell shape is critical to the functions it can perform. However, little is known about how cells regain proper shape after an injury. In a new study...
View ArticleFirst drug target identified for children with rare type of brain tumor
Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) are the largest group of malignant brain tumors in children. They can arise from the brain's cerebellum or, more rarely, from tissue located throughout the...
View ArticleShedding new light on protein aggregates and the diseases they cause
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston University have developed a system capable of quickly screening millions of yeast cells to measure protein aggregates. Proteins...
View ArticleOvercoming barriers in the quest to starve tumors of blood supply
One of the most exciting strategies researchers are pursuing for fighting cancer is to cut off the blood supply of cancerous cells. However, many initially-promising therapies have failed in part...
View ArticleRat study shows gut microbes play a role in colon cancer susceptibility
The microscopic organisms that live in our gut do more than help us digest food. A new study in rats bolsters a growing body of evidence that the complex mix of microorganisms found in the gut, known...
View ArticleIn the firefly's flash, seeking new insights on evolution
From loud calls to flashing lights, animals use a wide array of signals to attract mates. Although these signals play a very important role in whether the organisms will mate and reproduce, scientists...
View ArticleLong-term health effects of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs not as dire...
The detonation of atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 resulted in horrific casualties and devastation. The long-term effects of radiation exposure also...
View ArticleGenetics of African KhoeSan populations maps to Kalahari Desert geography
Geography and ecology are key factors that have influenced the genetic makeup of human groups in southern Africa, according to new research discussed in the journal Genetics, a publication of the...
View ArticleGenome of fiercely protective Fonni's Dog reflects human history of Sardinia
A genomic analysis of 28 dog breeds has traced the genetic history of the remarkable Fonni's Dog, a herd guardian endemic to the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. The results, published in the journal...
View ArticleGenomic study of high school students from Denmark reveals remarkable genetic...
People from Denmark are genetically similar to each other no matter which part of the country they come from, report researchers in the journal Genetics, a publication of the Genetics Society of...
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