Maize population study finds genes affected by long-term artificial selection
Researchers conducted a genome-wide scan of a long-term maize breeding study to find the genes involved in increasing the number of ears per maize plant.
View ArticleDomestication syndrome: White patches, baby faces and tameness
More than 140 years ago, Charles Darwin noticed something peculiar about domesticated mammals. Compared to their wild ancestors, domestic species are more tame, and they also tend to display a suite of...
View ArticleMore than just X and Y: A new genetic basis for sex determination
Men and women differ in plenty of obvious ways, and scientists have long known that genetic differences buried deep within our DNA underlie these distinctions. In the past, most research has focused on...
View ArticleResearchers discover new gene responsible for traits involved in diabetes
A collaborative research team led by Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) scientists has identified a new gene associated with fasting glucose and insulin levels in rats, mice and in humans. The findings...
View ArticleGenetic modifier affects colon tumor formation
(Medical Xpress)—Unexpected results from an ongoing experiment in the lab of Kristi Neufeld, co-leader of the Cancer Biology Program at the University of Kansas Cancer Center, led to a potentially...
View ArticleNatural gene selection can produce orange corn rich in provitamin A for...
Purdue researchers have identified a set of genes that can be used to naturally boost the provitamin A content of corn kernels, a finding that could help combat vitamin A deficiency in developing...
View ArticleFor one family, zebrafish help provide genetic answers
Research in zebrafish has helped identify the cause of an unknown genetic disorder affecting a boy and two of his uncles, scientists report in an article published October 14 in the journal Genetics.
View ArticleGenes contribute to behavior differences between fierce and friendly rats
After many generations, rats bred for their bad attitude behave differently from those selected for a calm demeanor around humans. Research published November 7 in the journal Genetics identifies gene...
View ArticleResearch sows the seeds for improved food security
Research from the University of Bath has shown that is possible to improve both seed size and seed number opening new avenues to increase crop yields and improving food security.
View ArticleMapping snake venom variety reveals unexpected evolutionary pattern
Venom from an eastern diamondback rattlesnake in the Everglades is distinct from the cocktail of toxins delivered by the same species in the Florida panhandle area, some 500 miles away. But no matter...
View ArticleGenetic data can help predict how pine forests will cope with climate change
Data from only a small number of gene variants can predict which maritime pine trees are most vulnerable to climate change, scientists report in the March issue of Genetics. The results will improve...
View ArticleHidden burden: Most people carry recessive disease mutations
Humans carry an average of one to two mutations per person that can cause severe genetic disorders or prenatal death when two copies of the same mutation are inherited, according to estimates published...
View ArticleHow the lack of specific proteins affects the development of filamentous fungi
The April issue of the journal Genetics, published by the Genetics Society of America (GSA), has devoted its front cover to an article published by researchers of the Faculty of Chemistry of the...
View ArticleElectroporation delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 system improves efficiency and...
Jackson Laboratory researchers have shown that using an electric current to deliver the CRISPR/Cas9 system, in order to engineer genetic changes in laboratory mice, is highly efficient and...
View ArticleMassively parallel gene function assays aim to reduce uncertainty of genetic...
Patients seeking certainty in genetic tests often receive a perplexing result. Many learn they carry a 'variant of unknown significance' of a disease-linked gene. Such variants might—or equally might...
View ArticleHealth records and genetic data from more than 100,000 Californians power...
By volunteering to mail saliva to researchers working with their health care provider, thousands of people in California have helped build one of the nation's most powerful medical research tools. The...
View ArticleSmall RNAs found to play important roles in memory formation
Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found that a type of genetic material called "microRNA" plays surprisingly different roles in the formation of memory in...
View ArticleTiny genetic tweak unlocked corn kernels during domestication
If not for a single genetic mutation, each kernel on a juicy corn cob would be trapped inside a inedible casing as tough as a walnut shell. The mutation switches one amino acid for another at a...
View ArticleRejuvenating the comparative approach in modern neuroscience
65 years ago, the famed behavioral endocrinologist Frank Beach wrote an article in The American Psychologist entitled 'The Snark was a Boojum'. The title refers to Lewis Carroll's poem 'The Hunting of...
View ArticleStudy shows how a kernel got naked and corn became king
Ten thousand years ago, a golden grain got naked, brought people together and grew to become one of the top agricultural commodities on the planet.
View Article