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USDA Funds Texas A&M AgriLife Research to Develop “Holy Grail” of Tomatoes

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has funded a new Texas A&M AgriLife Research project expected to bring researchers even closer to developing the "holy grail" of tomatoes.

7 Jul 2023

New AI Tool Tracks Complex Fruit Fly Behavior

What is the easiest way to know if a fruit fly is hungry? Ask a computer.

3 Jul 2023

Study Examines Neural Activity and Wake-Like Skin Patterning of Octopus During Their Sleep

When octopuses sleep, their quiet periods of slumber are punctuated by short bursts of frenzied activity. Their arms and eyes twitch, their breathing rate quickens, and their skin flashes with vibrant colors.

29 Jun 2023

New Approach to Revolutionize Synthetic Biology

For the first time, scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of the Department of Energy (Berkeley Lab) have created a genome-scale method to map the regulatory role of transcription factors, proteins that are essential for controlling gene expression, and a plant’s physiological features.

22 Jun 2023

Albino Squid Illuminates Cephalopod Brain Activity

A team of researchers at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) has successfully engineered an albino strain of Euprymna berryi, the hummingbird bobtail squid.

21 Jun 2023

Heat-Damaged DNA in Food Linked to Possible Genetic Risks

Researchers have newly discovered a surprising and potentially significant reason why eating foods frequently cooked at high temperatures, such as red meat and deep-fried fare, elevates cancer risk. The alleged culprit: DNA within the food that's been damaged by the cooking process.

14 Jun 2023

Study Sheds Light on the Genetic Basis for Body Plan Development in the Starlet Sea Anemone

Lacking bones, brains, and even a complete gut, the body plans of simple animals like sea anemones appear to have little in common with humans and their vertebrate kin.

14 Jun 2023

Dual CRISPR Gene Drive Systems Target a Specific Gene

According to recent research from North Carolina State University, scientists have created a “homing gene drive system” based on CRISPR/Cas9 that could be used to suppress populations of Drosophila suzukii vinegar flies—so-called “spotted-wing Drosophila” that severely damage soft-skinned fruit in North America, Europe, and parts of South America.

13 Jun 2023

Birds and Bats are Responsible for Increases in Cacao Yield in Northern Peru

Healthy bat and bird populations don't only help to keep the endangered tropical dry forests of northern Peru in equilibrium.

8 Jun 2023

Leave Bats Alone to Prevent the Next Pandemic of Zoonotic Origin

A new paper in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health makes the case that pandemic prevention requires a global taboo whereby humanity agrees to leave bats alone-;to let them have the habitats they need, undisturbed.

7 Jun 2023

Exploring the Competitive Interactions of Colletotrichum Species in Olive Anthracnose

A study from the Department of Agronomy at the UCO reveals that pathogens, once established, are difficult to dislodge, even by more competitive pathogens, after evaluating the interactions between the main species of Colletotrichum in Spain and Portugal.

7 Jun 2023

Natural Peptide From Fruit Flies may Pave Way for New Antibiotics

Scientists at the University of Illinois Chicago have found that a peptide from fruit flies could lead to new antibiotics.

7 Jun 2023

New Toolbox Assists in the Understanding of Intricate Genetic Traits

Elizabeth King, Associate Professor in the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri, was inspired to spend her formative years studying science by a lifelong curiosity about the natural world and the diversity of life—and along the way, she discovered her passion for biology.

2 Jun 2023

Neuropeptide DH31 Regulates Reproductive Dormancy in a Broad Range of Insects

Dormancy is a survival strategy for many organisms that involves suppressing development and reproduction for a period of time to reduce energy consumption in unfavorable environments.

26 May 2023

Youth Gene "Chinmo" Could Link to Cancerous Processes

Chinmo, the gene responsible for the juvenile stage in insects, has been discovered by researchers. This gene is found in animals and could have a role in cancerous processes.

26 May 2023

Fructose is Needed for Enhanced Egg Production in Fruit Flies, Study Reveals

To many people, the sugars we eat may seem like a luxury that can do more harm than good. But now, researchers from Japan have discovered that in insects, dietary sugars play a key role in reproduction.

25 May 2023

Study Shows How Excess Dietary Sugar Worsens IBD Symptoms

Excess sugar hampers cells that renew the colon's lining in a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a new study by University of Pittsburgh scientists.

23 May 2023

Key Event that Controls the Timing of the Biological Clock Identified

Molecular clocks in our cells synchronize our bodies with the cycle of night and day, cue us for sleep and waking, and drive daily cycles in virtually every aspect of our physiology. Scientists studying the molecular mechanisms of our biological clocks have now identified a key event that controls the timing of the clock.

23 May 2023

Revealing the Molecular and Cellular Underpinnings of Summit Disease

Carolyn Elya, a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, illustrates the molecular and cellular underpinnings of the parasitic fungus Entomophthora muscae’s (E. muscae’s) ability to influence the behavior of fruit flies in new research published in eLife.

22 May 2023