Genetic News and Research

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Plants Activate Immunity Instead of Growth During Drought Recovery

A plant's number one priority is to grow-a feat that demands sunlight, nutrients, and water. If just one of these three inputs is missing, like water in a drought, growth halts.

2 Sep 2025

Cornell Study Reveals Early Genetic Differences Between Male and Female Embryos

Cornell researchers have uncovered the genetic triggers that cause male and female bovine embryos to develop differently, as early as seven to eight days after fertilization.

1 Sep 2025

Scientists Discover New Microbial Metabolism That Breathes Iron Minerals

An international team of scientists led by microbiologists Marc Mussmann and Alexander Loy from the University of Vienna has discovered a new microbial metabolism: so-called MISO bacteria "breathe" iron minerals by oxidizing toxic sulfide.

28 Aug 2025

Study Uncovers Connection Between Neuronal Overactivation and Parkinson’s Disease

Certain brain cells are responsible for coordinating smooth, controlled movements of the body. But when those cells are constantly overactivated for weeks on end, they degenerate and ultimately die.

28 Aug 2025

Genetic Study Reveals Independent Origins of Eye Loss in Cavefish

Small, colorless, and blind, amblyopsid cavefishes inhabit subterranean waters throughout the eastern United States.

28 Aug 2025

Breakthrough Research Reveals Pathway to Early Protein Synthesis

Chemists at UCL have shown how two of biology's most fundamental ingredients, RNA (ribonucleic acid) and amino acids, could have spontaneously joined together at the origin of life four billion years ago.

28 Aug 2025

PV Interneurons Regulate Social Behavior and Empathy in Mice

A special set of neurons directs mice's attention to or away from their peers, depending on the situation. The Kobe University discovery has implications for finding causes for neuropsychiatric conditions such as autism spectrum disorder or schizophrenia.

27 Aug 2025

Belgian Scientists Reveal How Dendritic Cells Respond to Lipid Nanoparticles

Belgian scientists have uncovered new details about how the immune system responds to vaccines. Dendritic cells, which are key immune messengers that help kick-start the body's defenses, show specific responses to lipid nanoparticles.

27 Aug 2025

Bacteria Pass Down Environmental Memories Across Generations

Bacteria aren't just mindless microbes. New research from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem reveals that single bacterial cells can carry a "memory" of their past environments-passing it down through generations-before eventually forgetting.

27 Aug 2025

New "DNA Organizer" Found to Be Essential for Sperm Stem Cell Development

A research team at Kyoto University has discovered STAG3-cohesin, a new mitotic cohesin complex that helps establish the unique DNA architecture of spermaotogonial stem cells (SSCs), the stem cells that give rise to sperm.

27 Aug 2025

Genes and Diet Work Together to Regulate the Liver’s Circadian Clock

Our bodies follow a natural 24-hour cycle known as the circadian rhythm that influences everything from sleep to metabolism.

27 Aug 2025

How Defined Microbes Decide Chocolate Flavor

This study links microbial activity and fermentation conditions to cocoa flavor profiles, advancing techniques for producing premium chocolate consistently.

27 Aug 2025

New Imaging Method Reveals Lipid Distribution in Tiny Worms with High Precision

Understanding how fat molecules are distributed and function in living organisms is key to uncovering mechanisms of aging, disease, and metabolism.

25 Aug 2025

Scientists Use Single-Cell Proteomics to Track Blood Cell Differentiation

In the past decade there has been significant interest in studying the expression of our genetic code down to the level of single cells, to identify the functions and activities of any cell through the course of health or disease.

25 Aug 2025

Exploring the Regulatory Potential of "Junk DNA"

The non-coding genome, once referred to as "junk DNA," is now understood to be a fundamental regulator of gene expression and a key factor in understanding complex diseases.

25 Aug 2025

Machine Learning Framework Reveals Rules of Cellular Self Organization

One of the most fundamental processes in all of biology is the spontaneous organization of cells into clusters that divide and eventually turn into shapes – be they organs, wings or limbs.

22 Aug 2025

Genetic Signatures of Neural Progenitor Cells Uncovered in the Adult Brain

For much of the 20th century it was thought that the adult brain was incapable of regeneration. This view has since shifted dramatically and neurogenesis – the birth of new neurons – is now a widely accepted phenomenon in the adult brain, offering promising avenues for treating many neurological conditions.

22 Aug 2025

Ancient Interbreeding Provided Modern Humans with Useful Genetic Variation

A new study provides fresh evidence that ancient interbreeding with archaic human species may have provided modern humans with genetic variation that helped them adapt to new environments as they dispersed across the globe.

22 Aug 2025

Discovery of Lysosomal Vacuolation Mechanism Sheds Light on Aging and Disease

New research, published today in the journal Science, shows how lysosomes - organelles that act like cells' waste disposal system - respond to stress by becoming abnormally bloated, a process called lysosomal vacuolation that is associated with numerous diseases.

22 Aug 2025