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Andatu, the first Sumatran rhino to be born at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, and his mother, Ratu. Image credit: S. Ellis / International Rhino Foundation / CC BY 2.0.

Sumatran Rhinoceros Genome Sequenced

Dec 15, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has produced the first whole-genome sequence for the endangered Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), the...

DNA rendering of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa viewed with atomic force microscopy. Image credit: Tikhomirov et al.

Researchers ‘Paint’ World’s Smallest Mona Lisa

Dec 11, 2017 by News Staff

A team of scientists at Caltech has created the smallest version of the Mona Lisa ever — out of DNA. The work is described in a paper appearing in...

The Indian chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum indicum). Image credit: KENPEI / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Chrysanthemum Genome Sequenced

Dec 8, 2017 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of researchers from the Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, and the Amway Botanical Research Center...

The high-quality genome sequence of the bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) provides a useful resource for plant comparative genomics studies and cucurbit improvement. Image credit: Alice Paipai.

Scientists Sequence Calabash Genome

Dec 4, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has produced the first high-quality genome sequence for the bottle gourd, also known as calabash, and reconstructed...

A still frame from the Patterson-Gimlin film, a famous motion picture of an unidentified subject filmed on October 20, 1967 by Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin on Bluff Creek, a tributary of the Klamath River about 25 road miles north-west of Orleans, California.

Purported Yeti Samples Are Genetically Identical to Asian Bears, DNA Study Says

Nov 30, 2017 by News Staff

The Yeti, a mysterious ‘hominid’-like creature said to inhabit the high mountains of Asia, looms large in the mythology of Nepal and Tibet. Now, a...

A field of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) in Ukraine. Image credit: Oleksii Alieksieiev.

Researchers Piece Together Bread Wheat Genome

Nov 21, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of scientists from the Johns Hopkins University, Pacific Biosciences, and Earlham Institute has produced the first near-complete...

Amish family riding in a traditional Amish buggy in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Image credit: Utente.

Rare Gene Mutation Linked to Longer Lifespan in Amish

Nov 17, 2017 by News Staff

A rare loss-of-function mutation in a gene called SERPINE1 identified among Old Order Amish in Indiana is associated with a longer lifespan, improved metabolism...

The Tausch’s goatgrass (Aegilops tauschii), also known as the rough-spike hard grass, is a self-pollinating goatgrass species in the Triticeae tribe of the grass family. It is native to temperate Asia and the tropical Asian Indian Subcontinent, the Caucasus region in Eurasia, and Ukraine in Eastern Europe. Image credit: Patrick McGuire / University of California.

Researchers Sequence Genome of Tausch’s Goatgrass, Wild Ancestor of Bread Wheat

Nov 16, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of researchers led by the University of California, Davis, has sequenced the genome of the Tausch’s goatgrass (Aegilops tauschii),...

Marchantia polymorpha. Image credit: Holger Casselmann / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Scientists Sequence Genome of Common Liverwort

Nov 7, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has mapped and analyzed the genome of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, a species of land plant found around the...

The woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) at the Royal BC Museum, Victoria, British Columbia. Image credit: Tracy O / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Study: Male Woolly Mammoths More Often Fell into Natural Traps

Nov 6, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of researchers led by the Swedish Museum of Natural History has discovered that fossilized remains of woolly mammoths (Mammuthus...

Researchers Sequence Reindeer Genome

Nov 2, 2017 by News Staff

A team of Chinese scientists has successfully sequenced and analyzed the genome of Rangifer tarandus (reindeer), the only fully domesticated species in...

This is Olimpia da Farfengo, the female Mediterranean water buffalo that the researchers sequenced. Image credit: Caterina Cambuli.

River Buffalo Genome Sequenced

Oct 30, 2017 by News Staff

A multinational consortium of scientists has produced the first high-quality genomic sequence for the river buffalo (Bubalus bubalis bubalis), an important...

Guanches. Image credit: Gran Enciclopedia Virtual de las Islas Canarias.

Ancient DNA Study Confirms North African Origin of Guanches

Oct 27, 2017 by News Staff

The aboriginal inhabitants of the Canary Islands, commonly known as Guanches, were genetically most similar to modern North African Berbers, according...

Smilodon populator. Image credit: Rom-diz / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Ancient Mitochondrial DNA Sheds Light on Evolutionary History of Saber-Toothed Cats

Oct 20, 2017 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international team of researchers has used advanced DNA sequencing methods to retrieve and analyze mitochondrial genome data from two lineages of saber-toothed...

Scanning electron micrograph of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Image credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Researchers Uncover New Antibiotic Resistance Genes

Oct 16, 2017 by News Staff

Chalmers University of Technology Professor Erik Kristiansson and co-authors have identified over 70 new metallo-β-lactamase genes that make bacteria...

The Japanese sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus). Image credit: Qiang Xu.

Scientists Sequence Sea Cucumber Genome

Oct 13, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of researchers from Canada and China has sequenced the genome of the economically important species Apostichopus japonicus, commonly...

Fifteen moais of Ahu Tongariki. Image credit: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen / CC BY-SA 3.0.

DNA Study Finds No Evidence that Ancient Easter Islanders Intermixed with South Americans

Oct 13, 2017 by News Staff

A new study of ancient DNA appears to rule out the likelihood that inhabitants of Easter Island intermixed with Native South Americans prior to the arrival...

According to Hancock et al, the new genetic variant highlights the importance of genetically influenced regulation in brain on the risks of nicotine dependence, heavy smoking and consequent lung cancer. Image credit: Martin Buedenbender.

Study Identifies New Gene Variation Associated with Increased Risk of Nicotine Addiction

Oct 12, 2017 by Enrico de Lazaro

Europeans and European/African Americans with a variant of the DNA Methyltransferase 3 Beta (DNMT3B) gene have an increased risk of developing nicotine...

Durian (Durio zibethinus). Image credit: Amon Heijne / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Researchers Sequence Genome of Tropical Fruit Durian

Oct 10, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of researchers from Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia has sequenced the genome of durian (Durio zibethinus), a Southeast Asian tropical...