Mutated gene in zebrafish sheds light on blindness in humans
Among zebrafish, the eyes have it. Inside them is a mosaic of light-sensitive cells whose structure and functions are nearly identical to those of humans. There, biologists at The Florida State...
View ArticleStem cell breakthrough: Monitoring the on switch that turns stem cells into...
In a genetic engineering breakthrough that could help everyone from bed-ridden patients to elite athletes, a team of American researchers—including 2007 Nobel Prize winner Mario R. Capecchi—have...
View ArticleStudy provides insight into evolution of first flowers
(PhysOrg.com) -- Charles Darwin described the sudden origin of flowering plants about 130 million years ago as an abominable mystery, one that scientists have yet to solve.
View ArticleTo regenerate muscle, cellular garbage men must become builders
For scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Monterotondo, Italy, what seemed like a disappointing result turned out to be an important discovery. Their findings, published online...
View ArticleFrozen flies may yield secrets for human organ transplants
When kitchens become infiltrated with fruit flies, especially during the dog days of summer, homeowners might wish that the flying pests would just turn to ice.
View ArticleGenetic switch discovered that turns on pain
(PhysOrg.com) -- Aberdeen scientists have discovered a 'switch' that turns on a gene that lets us feel pain, in a finding that could be a step towards the development of new painkilling drugs.
View ArticleScientists unlock one mystery of tissue regeneration
Researchers at the University of Rochester have now identified a genetic switch that controls oxidative stress in stem cells and thus governs stem cell function.
View ArticleScientists discover genetic switch that increases muscle blood supply
Many people suffer from a devastating condition known as critical limb ischemia (CLI) that can lead to muscle wasting and even amputation. The disease is linked to the blockage of blood flow to the...
View ArticlePlant hormone auxin triggers a genetic switch
(PhysOrg.com) -- During the development of organisms, a particular event repeatedly occurs: a signal appears temporarily, but the processes it triggers must be maintained for example, when the fate...
View Article'Supergene' is key to copycat butterflies
Since Charles Darwin, biologists have pondered the mystery of "mimicry butterflies", which survive by copying the wing patterns of other butterflies that taste horrible to their predators, birds.
View ArticleHow hemp got high: Canadian scientists map the cannabis genome
A team of Canadian researchers has sequenced the genome of Cannabis sativa, the plant that produces both industrial hemp and marijuana, and in the process revealed the genetic changes that led to the...
View ArticleHow the fly flies: Scientists discover gene switch responsible for flight...
Flies are real flight artists, although they only have small wings compared to their body size. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, Germany, recently...
View Article'Cannabis' receptor discovery may help understanding of obesity and pain
(Phys.org)—Researchers have discovered that a genetic difference in a 'switch', which causes over-activity in parts of the brain, may explain why some people could be more susceptible to conditions...
View ArticleKey genetic mechanism in plant hormone signaling may help protect crops from...
Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have discovered a key genetic switch by which plants control their response to ethylene gas, a natural plant hormone best known for its ability...
View ArticleBiophysicists unravel secrets of genetic switch
When an invading bacterium or virus starts rummaging through the contents of a cell nucleus, using proteins like tiny hands to rearrange the host's DNA strands, it can alter the host's biological...
View ArticleGiant tobacco plants that stay young forever
Tobacco plants bloom when they are just a few months old – and then they die. Now, researchers have located a genetic switch which can keep the plants young for years and which permits unbounded...
View ArticleStarchy genes made dog into Man's best friend, study reports
The question of how some wolves evolved into the trusty dogs that work on farms, lead the blind and curl up on pillows in bedrooms has remained largely unanswered. Until now.
View ArticleScientists unravel the genetic secrets of nature's master of mimicry
Scientists investigating how one of the greatest shape shifters in the natural world is able to trick predators to avoid being eaten have identified the gene behind the fascinating feat.
View ArticleBreakthrough study discovers six changing faces of 'global killer' bacteria
Every ten seconds a human being dies from Streptococcus pneumoniae infection, also known as pneumococcus, making it a leading global killer.
View ArticleTo be sperm, or not to be sperm? Discovery of genetic switch that determines...
Researchers in Japan have found, for the first time in vertebrates, a genetic switch that determines whether germ cells become sperm or eggs. The gene is named foxl3, and has been identified using a...
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