Genetic News and Research

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Ancient Secrets of Octopus Sex Chromosomes Unveiled

The octopus just revealed another one of its secrets: what determines its sex.

5 Feb 2025

Genetic Map of Yerba Mate Offers Insight into Evolution of Caffeine Biosynthesis

Yerba mate, along with tea and coffee, is one of the world's most popular caffeinated beverages. Widely consumed in South America, this remarkable plant is rich in diverse, bioactive compounds that contribute many health benefits.

5 Feb 2025

Grasshopper Populations Reveal Winners and Losers of Climate Change

As insect populations decrease worldwide in what some have called an "insect apocalypse," biologists are desperate to determine how the six-legged creatures are responding to a warming world and to predict the long-term winners and losers.

3 Feb 2025

Generative AI Decodes the 3D Structure of DNA

Although the genetic sequence is the same in every cell in the body, only a subset of those genes is expressed by each cell.

3 Feb 2025

Random Versions of Human Genomes Created to Unlock Disease Mechanisms

The most complex engineering of human cell lines ever has been achieved by scientists, revealing that our genomes are more resilient to significant structural changes than was previously thought.

3 Feb 2025

Understanding How α2δ Protein Mutations Influence Brain Development in Autism

A recent study has uncovered how specific genetic mutations in α2δ-1 and α2δ-3 proteins linked to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) alter neuronal functionality. These mutations significantly reduce the proteins’ membrane expression and synaptic targeting but do not impair calcium channel activity or trans-synaptic signalling.

3 Feb 2025

New Method Helps Detect Mutations Causing Immune Escape in Viruses

Viruses are masters at disguise. When they are pushed too far by our immune system, they send new virus variants into play that are no longer recognized by immune cells.

31 Jan 2025

First Cell Atlas of Focal Cortical Dysplasia Offers New Insights for Treatment

Using a single-cell sequencing technique, Brazilian researchers have created the first cell atlas of focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), a malformation of the cerebral cortex that leads to drug-resistant epilepsy.

31 Jan 2025

Researchers Uncover How Fruit Flies Taste Food Texture

A study led by Nikita Komarov and Simon Sprecher at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, has discovered neurons in the fly larva mouth that allow the taste of food texture.

31 Jan 2025

Studies Reveal Early Resistance to Newly Developed Antibiotics

Researchers from the HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged (Hungary), have made a concerning discovery about the future of antibiotics. Two recent studies, published just days apart in Nature Microbiology and Science Translational Medicine found that resistance can develop against new antibiotics even before they are widely used, compromising their effectiveness from the start.

31 Jan 2025

Human Cell Lines Reveal Genome's Tolerance to Structural Variation

The most advanced engineering of human cell lines to date has been accomplished by scientists, demonstrating that genomes are more robust against significant structural changes than previously understood.

31 Jan 2025

Novel Chemo-Optogenetic Systems Offer Spatiotemporal Precision

A research team at Umeå University has created advanced light-controlled tools that allow for precise regulation of proteins in real time within living cells.

31 Jan 2025

Coffee's Bitter Taste Linked to Genetics and Roasting Process

Why does coffee taste more bitter to some people than it does to others? Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich have now come closer to answering this question.

30 Jan 2025

Researchers Apply Advanced AI Genetics Models to Study Parkinson's Disease

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Genome Center have successfully applied advanced artificial intelligence (AI) genetics models to Parkinson's disease. Researchers identified genetic factors in progression and FDA-approved drugs that can potentially be repurposed for PD treatment.

29 Jan 2025