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Chelonoidis abingdonii. Image credit: Quesada et al, doi: 10.1038/s41559-018-0733-x.

Giant Tortoise Genomes Provide Insights into Gigantism, Longevity and Age-Related Disease

Dec 5, 2018 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of researchers from Yale University, the University of Oviedo in Spain, the Galapagos Conservancy, and the Galapagos National Park Service has sequenced...

The giant tegu (Salvator merianae). Image credit: Renato Recoder.

Tegu Lizard Genome Sequenced

Nov 30, 2018 by News Staff

An international team of researchers from Germany and the United States has sequenced the genome of the giant tegu (Salvator merianae), also known as the...

Mitochondrial DNA is the small circular chromosome found inside mitochondria, which are organelles found in cells and sites of energy production. Image credit: Darryl Leja, NHGRI.

Study Shows Mitochondrial DNA Can Be Passed Through Fathers

Nov 29, 2018 by The Conversation

Some things you learn in school turn out not to be true, for example that there are just five senses or three states of matter. Now cutting-edge research...

Ong et al investigated the causal relationship between bitter taste perception and the consumption of coffee, tea and alcohol. Image credit: Tabble.

People with Higher Sensitivity to Bitter Caffeine Taste Drink More Coffee, Study Says

Nov 16, 2018 by News Staff

A new study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, has found that the more sensitive people are to the bitter taste of caffeine, the more coffee...

New Research Confirms Six Living Tiger Subspecies

Oct 30, 2018 by News Staff

Today, fewer than 4,000 free-ranging tigers survive in the wild, covering only 7% of their historical range. Efforts to protect these animals have been...

The wild sugarcane (Saccharum spontaneum). Image credit: Joydeep / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Researchers Sequence Genome of Wild Sugarcane

Oct 17, 2018 by News Staff

An international team of over 100 scientists from 16 institutions has sequenced the genome of the wild sugarcane (Saccharum spontaneum). The results appear...

Lavender Genome Sequenced

Oct 15, 2018 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of scientists from Brock University and the University of British Columbia, Canada, has sequenced the genome of the English lavender (Lavandula...

Interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans gave us genetic tools to combat viral infections. Image credit: Claire Scully.

Study: Humans Inherited Viral Defenses from Neanderthals

Oct 10, 2018 by News Staff

Neanderthal DNA introgressed in modern humans helped them adapt against RNA viruses, according to new research published in the journal Cell. Interbreeding...

Extra DNA Produces Blue Eyes in Huskies

Oct 10, 2018 by News Staff

In a study examining the DNA of over 6,000 dogs, researchers at Embark Veterinary, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, have identified that duplication of a part...

Haller et al suggest that the body’s inability to fully utilize manganese might be to blame for some cases of severe scoliosis. Image credit: Blausen.com, doi: 10.15347/wjm/2014.010.

Severe Scoliosis Linked to Essential Dietary Mineral Manganese

Oct 9, 2018 by News Staff

A research team led by Washington University scientists has found that children with severe scoliosis are twice as likely as children without the disease...

The groundcherry (Physalis pruinosa). Image credit: Steve Buissinne.

Groundcherry Could Be Agriculture’s Next Big Berry Crop

Oct 4, 2018 by News Staff

The groundcherry (Physalis pruinosa), also called ‘husk cherry’ and ‘strawberry tomato,’ is native to Central and South America. This tropical-tasting...

A cane toad (Rhinella marina), adult female. Image credit: Bernard Dupont / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Scientists Sequence Genome of Invasive Cane Toad

Sep 24, 2018 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has sequenced and analyzed the draft genome of the cane toad (Rhinella marina), a poisonous amphibian native to Central...

Rimfeld et al use twin analyses and genome-wide polygenic score analyses of longitudinal data from the Twins Early Development Study from age 7 to age 16, including GCSE scores, to investigate three issues -- the stability of general educational achievement, the stability of achievement in specific subjects, and the contribution of general cognitive ability to the stability of educational achievement. Image credit: Andrew Tan.

Study: Genetic Factors are Key to Academic Success

Sep 6, 2018 by News Staff

According to a large new study of twins, genetics explains more than 60% of individual differences in school achievement. Rimfeld et al use twin analyses...

The poppy (Papaver somniferum). Image credit: Sabine Löwer.

Scientists Sequence Poppy Genome

Aug 31, 2018 by News Staff

A team of researchers from Australia, China and the United Kingdom has sequenced and analyzed the genome of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), a species...

The acetylcholine pathway has been proposed to be important for wakefulness and REM sleep, but genetic evidence has been missing. Using a knockout of acetylcholine receptor genes, Niwa et al show that Chrm1 and Chrm3 double knockout chronically diminishes REM sleep to an undetectable level and causes a severe short-sleep phenotype. Image credit: Niwa et al, doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.07.082.

Researchers Identify Two Genes that Control REM Sleep

Aug 31, 2018 by News Staff

An international group of scientists from Japan and Australia has identified two essential genes involved in the regulation of rapid eye movement (REM)...

Denisovans were probably dark-skinned, unlike the pale Neandertals. The picture shows a Neanderthal man. Image credit: Mauro Cutrona.

‘Denisova 11’ Had Neanderthal Mother and Denisovan Father

Aug 23, 2018 by News Staff

Neanderthals and Denisovans are extinct groups of hominins that separated from each other more than 390,000 years ago. These two groups inhabited Eurasia...

An artistic conception of the early Earth. Image credit: Simone Marchi / NASA.

Common Ancestor of All Cellular Life on Earth Emerged Very Early in Planet’s History

Aug 23, 2018 by News Staff

New research from the Universities of Bristol and Bath suggests life originated on our planet a lot earlier than previously thought. An artistic conception...

Scientists Publish Fully Annotated Reference Genome of Bread Wheat

Aug 17, 2018 by News Staff

The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) published this week the first fully annotated reference genome of the bread wheat (Triticum...

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Image credit: Dia Picard.

Researchers Sequence Red Fox Genome

Aug 8, 2018 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has successfully sequenced the genome of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). The red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Image credit: Dia...