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Helena, the helmeted honeyeater (Lichenostomus melanops cassidix) whose genome was sequenced, at Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve, Victoria, Australia. Image credit: Nick Bradsworth.

Researchers Sequence Genome of Helmeted Honeyeater

Mar 29, 2022 by News Staff

Scientists from Monash University and elsewhere have sequenced and assembled the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes of the helmeted honeyeater (Lichenostomus...

This image shows subcellular localization of ADRAM (red) in primary cortical neurons. Scale bar - 20 μm. Image credit: Wei et al., doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110546.

Study: Junk DNA Could Be Key to Extinguishing Fear-Related Memories

Mar 25, 2022 by News Staff

Queensland Brain Institute’s Dr. Timothy Bredy and colleagues have discovered an experience-induced non-coding RNA, named ADRAM (activity-dependent lncRNA...

The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus). Image credit: University of Melbourne.

Scientists Propose Nine Steps to De-Extinction of Tasmanian Tiger

Mar 10, 2022 by News Staff

The reality of bringing back the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), also known as the Tasmanian tiger or the marsupial wolf, from extinction using its...

The genomic features of the genome of the autotetraploid potato (Solanum tuberosum): (a) gene density (number of genes per Mb; red) and percentage of TE-related sequence (yellow) within 2-Mb windows along the four haplotypes of each of the 12 chromosomes (Chr. 1-12); (b) landscapes of methylation in CG (purple), CHG (blue), CHH (gray) context within 2-Mb windows; the links in the center show >600 structural rearrangements >100 kb found between the four haplotypes of each chromosome; light blue and red boxes refer to the maternally and paternally inherited chromosomes. Image credit: Sun et al., doi: 10.1038/s41588-022-01015-0.

Researchers Sequence Genome of Tetraploid Potato Cultivar

Mar 9, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research and elsewhere have decoded the genome of the potato cultivar ‘Otava.’ Their results...

The Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata). Image credit: Pavlofox.

New Study Sheds Light on How Colorado Potato Beetles Rapidly Evolve Resistance to Insecticides

Feb 21, 2022 by News Staff

Insecticide resistance and rapid pest evolution threatens food security and the development of sustainable agricultural practices, yet the evolutionary...

The numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus). Image credit: Seashalia Gibb.

Scientists Sequence Genome of Numbat

Feb 15, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Two teams of genetic researchers have sequenced the genome of the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), a critically endangered Australian insectivorous marsupial...

The diversity of the Steller’s sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) was already declining some 900 to 800 years before its discovery by Georg Wilhelm Steller. Image credit: R. Ellis.

Genetic Secrets of Steller’s Sea Cow Revealed

Feb 11, 2022 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has extracted and analyzed ancient DNA from fragmentary remains of 12 individuals of the Steller’s sea cow (Hydrodamalis...

A female European mistletoe (Viscum album) plant in winter in the Herrenhäuser Gardens in Hanover, Germany. Image credit: Schröder et al., oi: 10.1111/tpj.15558.

Researchers Sequence Gene Space of European Mistletoe

Feb 4, 2022 by News Staff

The European mistletoe (Viscum album) is a hemiparasitic flowering plant steeped in ancient associations with druids and Northern European folklore. Since...

A person’s appreciation of nature and their tendency to visit natural spaces are heritable characteristics. Image credit: Adam Derewecki.

Study: Our Desire to Be in Nature and How We Experience It are Partially Heritable

Feb 3, 2022 by News Staff

Using the TwinsUK panel, an international team of researchers led by the National University of Singapore examined the extent to which genetic versus environmental...

Canadian Eskimo dogs. Illustration by John James Audubon and John Bachman (1845-1848).

Canine Genetic Mutation Associated with Small Body Size Arose More Than 53,000 Years Ago

Jan 28, 2022 by News Staff

Researchers have assembled a catalog of 1,431 genomes, inclusive of ancient canines, modern breed dogs, and wild canids, in a search for genetic variants...

Cave lions painted in the Chauvet Cave, France.

Ancient Lions and Bears Colonized North America in Multiple Waves, DNA Study Says

Jan 4, 2022 by News Staff

Researchers from the University of Adelaide and elsewhere have sequenced and analyzed mitochondrial DNA from fossils of cave lions (Panthera spp.) and...

The lychee (Litchi chinensis). Image credit: Xuan Duong.

Researchers Sequence Genome of Lychee

Jan 4, 2022 by News Staff

An international team of scientists from the United States, China, Singapore, France and Canada has decoded the genome of the lychee (Litchi chinensis),...

Grapes (Vitis vinifera). Image credit: Gerhard G.

European Wine Grapes Originated in Western Asia, Study Suggests

Dec 29, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

European wine grapes (Vitis vinifera) originated from the hybridization of western Asian-domesticated table grapes and local wild relatives, according...

Surface of a section of undisturbed block of sediment from Denisova Cave. Image credit: Mike Morley / Flinders University.

Scientists Find Ancient Hominin and Animal DNA in Cave Sediments

Dec 28, 2021 by News Staff

A research team led by Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and Flinders University scientists has successfully extracted ancient DNA from...

Coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) on U.S. Route 199 in California, the United States. Image credit: Acroterion / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Scientists Sequence Genome of Coast Redwood

Dec 20, 2021 by News Staff

Researchers have successfully sequenced, assembled and annotated the genome of coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), one of the most widely recognized...

Western honeybees (Apis mellifera). Image credit: PollyDot.

Western Honeybees May Have Originated in Asia, New Study Says

Dec 3, 2021 by News Staff

The origin of the western honeybee (Apis mellifera) has been intensely debated. Addressing this knowledge gap is essential for understanding the evolution...

The calico rockfish (Sebastes dallii). Image credit: K. Lee.

Scientists Identify Genetic Drivers of Extreme Longevity in Pacific Ocean Rockfishes

Nov 16, 2021 by News Staff

A team of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and elsewhere has sequenced and analyzed the genomes of 88 Pacific Ocean rockfish species...

Distribution of genes and repetitive elements in Isoetes taiwanensis (center): the relatively even distributions differ from angiosperm genomes, but are similar to what have been reported in other seed-free plants; only scaffolds longer than 10 Mb are plotted. Image credit: Wickell et al., doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-26644-7.

Scientists Sequence Genome of Quillwort

Nov 3, 2021 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has sequenced the genome of Isoetes taiwanensis, a species of aquatic plant endemic to Taiwan, and uncovered some...

Central bearded dragon cells under a microscope, showing the tiny microchromosomes huddled together amongst the larger chromosomes. Image credit: Shayer Alam / La Trobe University.

‘Microchromosomes’ are Fundamental Building Blocks of Amniote Chromosomes, Study Finds

Nov 2, 2021 by News Staff

Tiny ‘microchromosomes’ (<0.5 µm) are the building blocks of all animal genomes, but they underwent ‘dizzying rearrangement’ in mammals, including...