Genetics News

Most Bacteria in Gut Microbiome are Heritable, New Study Suggests

Kennedy et al. found that fetal gut colonization of healthy term infants does not occur before birth. Image credit: Darryl Leja, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health.
Jul 9, 2021 by News Staff

Commensal bacteria are found throughout an organism, but it is not known whether associations between gut bacteria and their host are heritable. In a new study, biologists from the University of Notre Dame and elsewhere examined changes in the microbiomes of 585 wild baboons from samples collected over 14 years in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park; almost all microbiome traits tested demonstrated some level of statistically significant heritability;...

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Illustration showing trends in the levels of purifying selection (purple) and thermostability (green) in G-quadruplexes across different regions of the genome (shown at bottom). Image credit: Kateryna Makova & Dani Zemba, Penn State.

G-Quadruplexes are Fundamental, Functional Elements of Human Genome, Researchers Say

Jul 6, 2021 by News Staff

DNA usually forms the classic double helix shape — two strands wound around each other. But approximately 1% of the human genome has the ability...

Astronaut Christina Koch plating Saccharomyces cerevisiae following transformation. Image credit: NASA.

CRISPR-Cas9 Genome Editing Demonstrated aboard International Space Station

Jul 1, 2021 by News Staff

A team of U.S. scientists has developed a CRISPR-based method for studying how eukaryotic cells repair DNA in space. Astronaut Christina Koch plating Saccharomyces...

Life restoration of the koala lemur Megaladapis edwardsi. Image credit: Michael B. H. / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Researchers Sequence Genome of Extinct Giant Lemur

Jun 30, 2021 by Natali Anderson

An international team of scientists has successfully sequenced the nuclear genome of Megaladapis edwardsi, a species of megafaunal lemur that went extinct...

Souilmi et al. apply evolutionary analyses to human genomic datasets to recover selection events involving tens of human genes that interact with coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, that likely started more than 20,000 years ago. Image credit: Souilmi et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.067.

Coronavirus Epidemic Occurred in East Asia 25,000 Years Ago, Genetic Study Shows

Jun 28, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

The genomes of multiple East Asian populations bear the signature of a viral epidemic that occurred approximately 900 generations, or 25,000 years (28...

Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia. Image credit: Alex Demin / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ancient DNA Analysis Sheds New Light on Occupational History of Denisova Cave

Jun 24, 2021 by News Staff

In a new study published this week in the journal Nature, an international team of researchers analyzed DNA from more than 700 sediment samples that were...

The European water vole (Arvicola amphibius). Image credit: Peter Trimming / CC BY 2.0.

Scientists Sequence Genome of European Water Vole

Jun 24, 2021 by News Staff

A team of UK researchers has decoded the complete genome of a semi-aquatic mammal called the European water vole (Arvicola amphibius). The European water...

The Basenji dog (Canis lupus familiaris).

Researchers Sequence Genome of Basenji Dog

Jun 2, 2021 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has sequenced and assembled the genome of the Basenji dog (Canis lupus familiaris), an ancient dog breed of central...

Watermelon Was Domesticated in Sudan from Kordofan Melon, New Genetic Study Suggests

May 25, 2021 by News Staff

Scientists have sequenced and analyzed the genome of the Kordofan melon (Citrullus lanatus subsp. cordophanus), a Sudanese form of melon with nonbitter...

Ancient horses crossed over the Bering Land Bridge in both directions between North America and Asia multiple times during the Pleistocene. Image credit: Julius Csotonyi.

Eurasian Horses Diverged from North American Horses One Million Years Ago, DNA Study Shows

May 24, 2021 by News Staff

In new research, an international team of scientists sequenced and analyzed mitochondrial and nuclear genomes of living and extinct caballine horses (Equus...

A cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) with fruit pods in various stages of ripening. Image credit: Marco Vasquez.

Scientists Discover Gene that Controls Flowering in Cacao

May 18, 2021 by News Staff

A team of researchers at the Pennsylvania State University has made a discovery that may help accelerate breeding efforts aimed at improving the disease-ridden...

The ecological function of the main volatiles emitted by opening flowers, flower buds, leaves, and stems of the lavender (Lavandula angustifolia): a large proportion of linalool, linalyl acetate, and lavandulyl acetate in opening flowers function as attractants for pollinators; at the flower bud stage, α-pinene, β-pinene, and β-ocimene, etc. provide defense against herbivores and predators; borneol, camphor, 1,8-cineole, camphene, and bornyl acetate are the main compounds in leaves and stems, and are always repellents to pests. Image credit: Li et al., doi: 10.1038/s41438-021-00490-6.

Researchers Sequence Genome of New Lavender Cultivar

May 17, 2021 by Natali Anderson

A research team in China has produced the high-quality reference genome for ‘Jingxun 2,’ a cultivar of the lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) recently...

The Yap hadal snailfish. Image credit: Mu et al., doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.100953.

Scientists Sequence Genome of Deep-Sea Snailfish

May 14, 2021 by Natali Anderson

A team of researchers in China has sequenced and assembled the high-quality reference genome for the Yap hadal snailfish, which was captured at a depth...

Lemon-scented gum trees (Corymbia citriodora) at the Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens in Australia. Image credit: Bidgee / CC BY 3.0.

Lemon-Scented Gum Tree Genome Sequenced

May 13, 2021 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has for the first time mapped the genome of the lemon-scented gum (Corymbia citriodora). Lemon-scented gum trees (Corymbia...

El Sidron Neanderthals taste wild mushrooms, pine nuts and forest moss. Image credit: Abel Grau, CSIC Communication.

Researchers Reconstruct Oral Microbiomes of Neanderthals, Paleolithic and Modern Humans

May 11, 2021 by News Staff

The oral microbiome plays key roles in human biology, health, and disease, but little is known about the global diversity, variation, or evolution of this...

An adult female Masai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) in the Masaai Mara National Park, Kenya. Image credit: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen / CC BY-SA 3.0.

DNA Study Confirms There Are Four Giraffe Species

May 7, 2021 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has sequenced and analyzed the genomes 50 giraffe individuals representing all traditionally recognized subspecies....

Researchers Sequence Genomes of Revived 2,000-Year-Old Date Palms

May 6, 2021 by Sergio Prostak

An international team of scientists from Israel, the United States, France, and the United Arab Emirates has successfully sequenced and analyzed the genomes...

Two common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). Image credit: Dario Sanches.

Scientists Sequence Genome of Common Marmoset

Apr 29, 2021 by News Staff

Researchers from the Vertebrate Genomes Project have produced a chromosome-level, fully haplotype-resolved diploid genome assembly for the common marmoset...

A skull of Voay robustus collected at Ampoza during the joint Mission Franco-Anglo-American expedition from 1927-1930. Image credit: Hekkala et al., doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-02017-0.

Ancient DNA Sheds Light on Evolutionary History of Extinct ‘Horned’ Crocodile

Apr 27, 2021 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has recovered and analyzed partial mitochondrial genomes from 1,300-1,400-year-old specimens of Voay robustus, a recently...

Reconstruction of the giant, short-faced North American bear Arctodus simus. Image credit: Daniel Reed / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Genome-Wide Data from Stone Age Bears Recovered from Cave Sediments

Apr 20, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

Scientists have reconstructed the genomes of the extinct giant short-faced bear (Arctodus simus) and the American black bear (Ursus americanus) using environmental...

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