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Flipped DNA Segments Help Fish Rapidly Evolve into New Species

Researchers have found that chunks of 'flipped' DNA can help fish quickly adapt to new habitats and evolve into new species, acting as evolutionary 'superchargers'.

13 Jun 2025

Study Identifies Key Yield Traits in Complex Banana Genome

Banana breeding is notoriously difficult. Most cultivated bananas are sterile triploids with limited recombination and long growth cycles.

11 Jun 2025

The Role of Metabolism in Bacterial Survival and Resistance

Ciprofloxacin induces bioenergetic stress in E. coli, boosting survival rates and resistance development. Metabolic shifts challenge antibiotic effectiveness.

10 Jun 2025

A New Strategy for High-Fidelity CRISPR Editing in Tomatoes

Gene targeting (GT) via homologous recombination (HR) is a powerful tool for precise genome editing, but its application in plants is limited due to the dominance of canonical non-homologous end-joining (cNHEJ) in double-strand break (DSB) repair.

10 Jun 2025

Mapping the Genetic Blueprint of Flowering Chinese Cabbage

Flowering Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis var. parachinensis), known for its tender stalks and vibrant greens, has long been a dietary mainstay in southern China and beyond.

9 Jun 2025

Cleaner Fish Stations and Their Effect on Reef Diversity

This study reveals how cleaner fish impact microbial diversity on coral reefs, highlighting their role in ecosystem health and potential pathogen transmission.

6 Jun 2025

Chitin Facilitates Gene Transfer Across Species Through Natural Transformation Among Vibrio cholerae

A study in PNAS reveals that chitin promotes gene transfer in marine environments by binding environmental DNA and enhancing natural transformation in Vibrio cholerae, with implications for microbial evolution and ecosystem diversity.

6 Jun 2025

New Study Details H9N2 Avian Flu’s Variability and Public Health Implications

Research on H9N2 avian influenza shows extensive genetic changes, raising public health concerns and emphasizing the need for enhanced monitoring and vaccines.

4 Jun 2025

How Heterogeneous Antibody Immunity Shapes Strain Evolution

A new study found that person-to-person heterogeneity in antibody immunity influences which influenza (flu) strains dominate in a population.

4 Jun 2025

Evolution of Cancer Genomes During Metastasis

Research on cancer metastasis uncovers genetic complexities, showing that copy-number alterations play a key role in tumor evolution and treatment resistance.

3 Jun 2025

Repairing DNA Double-Strand Breaks May Improve Genomic Stability by Limiting Organelle-to-Nucleus Gene Transfer

A new study in Nature Plants reveals that DNA double-strand break repair (DSBR) pathways help prevent gene transfer from organelles to the nucleus in plants. Disruption of DSBR increases the risk of genomic instability through endosymbiotic gene transfer (EGT).

2 Jun 2025

How Domestication Changed Cat Genes and Behavior

Whether one is fortunate enough to have a cat friend or must enjoy the experience vicariously through cat videos, Felis catus is a familiar and reassuring presence in our daily lives.

30 May 2025

Seasonal Light Changes Continue to Shape Human Circadian Rhythms

It’s tempting to think that, with our fancy electric lights and indoor bedrooms, humanity has evolved beyond the natural influence of sunlight when it comes to our sleep routines.

29 May 2025

Zika Virus Hijacks Cellular Cleanup to Suppress Immune Response

A new study reveals the biological secret to the Zika virus's infectious success: Zika uses host cells' own "self-care" system of clearing away useless molecules to suppress the host proteins that the virus has employed to get into those cells in the first place.

28 May 2025

Cobraa: A Coalescence-Based Model Infers a Structured Ancestry Shared by Modern-Day Humans

The Cobraa model offers insights into human evolution, detailing ancestral population dynamics and genetic admixture events over the last 1.5 million years.

28 May 2025

Epigenome Editing: Enhancing Endonuclease Protein Design for In Vivo Applications

Researchers have engineered a compact, high-specificity IscB variant, NovaIscB, for safe, persistent in vivo epigenome editing using AAV delivery, offering a powerful tool for gene regulation without DNA breaks.

28 May 2025

Cold Adaptation in Rice Offers New Insights into Evolution

Chinese researchers recently discovered molecular evidence supporting Lamarckism, a long-debated theory from the early 19th century that suggests acquired traits can be inherited.

27 May 2025

New Genomic Score Predicts Risk of Progression in Multiple Myeloma

A new risk assessment score developed by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard reveals how multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, begins and progresses from precancerous to malignant states by tracing DNA mutations.

24 May 2025

Gene Loss and Gain Shaped the Evolution of Relapsing Fever Bacteria

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and UCL have analyzed ancient DNA from Borrelia recurrentis, a type of bacteria that causes relapsing fever, pinpointing when it evolved to spread through lice rather than ticks, and how it gained and lost genes in the process.

24 May 2025

Study Reveals How Introns Multiply and Move Across Genomes

DNA is the genetic code that provides the biological instructions for every living species, but not every bit of DNA helps the species survive. Some pieces of DNA are more like parasites, along for the ride and their own survival.

24 May 2025