Latest Gene Stories
Caltech biologists create the first predictive computational model of gene networks that control the development of sea-urchin embryos As an animal develops from an embryo, its cells take diverse paths, eventually forming different body parts—muscles, bones, heart. In order for each cell to know what to do during development, it follows a genetic blueprint, which consists of complex webs of interacting genes called gene regulatory networks. Biologists at the California Institute of...
Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online The next time you leave your DNA behind be forewarned that you are now not only leaving your biological fingerprint behind for prying eyes, but also leaving evidence of what color your hair and eyes are. Until the mid-1980s, DNA at a crime scene went largely unchecked due to lack of technology to search it out. And for the last two decades, in order for a crime scene detective to match DNA to a suspect, samples had to be taken from...
AMSTERDAM, August 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- CodeForScience Singapore is the third competition in 2012 in a global series to develop applications for science research Elsevier [http://www.elsevier.com ], a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, has launched its third global CodeForScience [http://www.codeforscience.com ] (CFS) competition in collaboration with The National University of...
Numerous viruses are used in the service of science today. They serve as gene taxis to transfer therapeutic genes into body cells or as therapeutic viruses targeted to infect and destroy cancer cells. For such applications, the viruses are often equipped with additional genes, such as for immune mediators or for proteins inducing programmed cell death. However, these gene products can harm the body if they are released at the wrong moment or at excessive levels. "Ideally, we want to be able...
Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online DNA, the building block of life, is now home to more than just the world’s living creatures. Scientists from Harvard University report that they have written an entire novel in DNA, a feat that could revolutionize our ability to save data. Our genetic code packs billions of gigabytes into a single gram. That is significantly more information that a single microchip could even think about storing. In fact, a single milligram of...
SYDNEY, August 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Elsevier [http://www.elsevier.com ], a world-leading provider of scientific, technical, and medical information products and services, is proud to announce the launch of Performance Enhancement & Health - a new international, peer-reviewed journal that critically explores the health implications of performance enhancement on the human being, from steroid doping in elite athletes, right through to amphetamine use amongst truck...
Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered, for the first time in any animal species, a type of “selfish” mitochondrial DNA that is actually hurting the organism and lessening its chance to survive – and bears a strong similarity to some damage done to human cells as they age. The findings, just published in the journal PLoS One, are a biological oddity previously unknown in animals. But they may also provide an important new tool to study human aging, scientists said....
100 gene deletions in mice identifies 9 new genes that determine bone strength A genetic screening approach to studying bone disease has found nine new genes associated with bone health and suggests a new way to discover genes that may be implicated in human skeletal diseases. A collaborative study of the mineral content, strength and flexibility of bones has found clues to the cause of bone disorders such as osteoporosis, osteogenesis imperfecta, and high bone density syndromes. The...
April Flowers for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online For about a dozen years, synthetic biologists have been working on designing genetic circuits to perform novel functions such as manufacturing new drugs, producing fuel or even programming the suicide of cancer cells. Many factors have to be controlled for this dream to become a reality. Scientists have to gain control over complex genetic and cellular components, including genes and the regulatory proteins, called transcription...
The discovery of virus-like genes in the DNA of a commonly studied fruit fly could enable research on whether animals hijack viral genes as an anti-viral defense In a curious evolutionary twist, several species of a commonly studied fruit fly appear to have incorporated genetic material from a virus into their genomes, according to new research by University at Buffalo biologists. The study found that several types of fruit fly -- scientific name Drosophila -- harbored genes similar to...
