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Quantitative method evaluates sexual conflict evolution

Males of a species that evolve sexual conflict traits can create issues for females and, eventually, the entire population.

6 Mar 2023

Largest-ever genetic analysis provides insight into domestications and origin of traits in grapevine

In the largest ever genetic analysis of grapevine varieties, including samples from previously undocumented specimens in private collections, researchers provide new insights into how, when, and where wine and table grapevines were domesticated, which has been a longstanding question.

3 Mar 2023

New signals of natural selection in humans identified

A team of global experts has discovered new signals of natural selection in humans.

2 Mar 2023

Study shows like-minded flamingos form cliques

Flamingos form cliques of like-minded individuals within their flocks, new research shows.

2 Mar 2023

Elaborating how amino acids shaped the genetic code of ancient microbes

Researchers discovered that without specific amino acids, ancient proteins would not have identified how to evolve into anything alive on the planet today, including plants, animals, and humans, by mimicking early Earth conditions in the lab.

28 Feb 2023

Study reveals why the FMO5 gene produces an enzyme with a different activity

Our body produces lots of enzymes that break down toxic substances. One class of such enzymes are the flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs), which are present in all tetrapods. Humans have five different FMO genes, of which the first four display the same activity. However, the fifth FMO gene triggers a different breakdown reaction. University of Groningen biochemists have succeeded in resurrecting the ancestral genes of all tetrapod FMOs to show how this divergence has occurred. Their results appear on 24 February in Nature Communications.

28 Feb 2023

MoBIE: New user-friendly, freely available tool for sharing large imaging data sets

High-resolution microscopy techniques, for example electron microscopy or super-resolution microscopy, produce huge amounts of data.

24 Feb 2023

Genetic study emphasizes the significance of “balancing selection” in evolution

Nature can maintain various genetic features in balance as a species grows over millions of years, much like a merchant of old would do when balancing the weights of two distinct products on a scale.

23 Feb 2023

Whole genome sequencing might help better assess tumor evolution

To develop the most efficacious, personalized treatment plans for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma or other cancers, researchers and clinicians must first understand the genetic changes that cause cancer to develop.

23 Feb 2023

New model describes the enormous range of DNA in nature

Why neutral sequences, frequently referred to as “junk DNA,” are not removed from the genomes of living things in nature and persist there even millions of years later is a scientific mystery that could have a possible answer according to a new model created at Tel Aviv University.

23 Feb 2023

Study illuminates how lung cells protect themselves against RNA viral infection

A new University of California, Irvine-led study uncovers how a protein, APOBEC3B, could protect cells against many different types of RNA viruses like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), SARS-CoV2, influenza virus, poliovirus and measles, helping to prevent disease.

23 Feb 2023

Analyzing the existence of unknown miniproteins

Evolutionarily young miniproteins are unique in humans, and scientists have recently found thousands of them.

21 Feb 2023

Human sleep architecture varies substantially across seasons, study shows

Whether we're night owls or morning larks, our body clocks are set by the sun. Theoretically, changing day length and light exposure over the course of the year could affect the duration and quality of our sleep.

20 Feb 2023

"Poisoned" form of a protein could set off events that encourage cancer growth

Scientists at Scripps Research, with collaborators in Japan, have discovered how a "poisoned" form of a protein could set off a cascade of events that encourage the growth of some cancers.

17 Feb 2023

Locating genes involved in the metabolism and distribution of human fat

Researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School and the University of Chicago discovered data identifying “jumping genes”—associated with the distribution of fat in the abdomen—that are connected to a higher risk for health problems from obesity in women.

17 Feb 2023

Study: Climate change impedes the evolution of fish species

Fish, the most biodiverse vertebrates in the animal kingdom, present evolutionary biologists a conundrum: The greatest species richness is found in the world's tropical waters, yet the fish groups that generate new species most rapidly inhabit colder climates at higher latitudes.

15 Feb 2023

UChicago scientists shed light on the longstanding puzzle of RNA methylation

University of Chicago scientists have discovered a new wrinkle in our understanding of how our genes work.

14 Feb 2023

Identifying the molecular switch that regulates autophagy in plants

Autophagy, commonly known as “self-eating,” is a cellular quality control mechanism that relieves the cell of protein aggregates and damaged organelles. This system is inert under ordinary conditions and is only activated in the presence of persistent cellular stress.

13 Feb 2023

Valent BioSciences announces the acquisition of FBSciences

Valent BioSciences LLC, a global leader in the discovery, development, and commercialization of highly effective, low-risk, environmentally compatible technologies and products for agriculture, public health, and forest health, announces its acquisition of FBSciences Holdings, Inc., a leader in the discovery and commercialization of naturally derived plant, soil, and climate health solutions.

From Valent Biosciences 13 Feb 2023

Unique genes create new species of monkeyflower

Monkeyflowers glow in a rich assortment of colors, from yellow to pink to deep red-orange. But about 5 million years ago, some of them lost their yellow.

10 Feb 2023