Genetics News

Single Gene Linked to Evolutionary Rise of Multiple Mammalian Lineages

Gaudry et al demonstrate that members of various lineages (for example, cetaceans, horses, woolly mammoths, Steller’s sea cows) evolved extreme cold hardiness in the absence of UCP1-mediated thermogenesis. Image credit: Mauricio Anton.
Jul 17, 2017 by News Staff

Ancient, independent inactivations of the ucp1 gene, which encodes the uncoupling protein 1, or UCP1 (essential for thermogenesis in brown fat), were a major force driving the evolution of nearly half of all placental mammal orders, according to new research published in the journal Science Advances (biorXiv.org preprint). Gaudry et al demonstrate that members of various lineages (for example, cetaceans, horses, woolly mammoths, Steller’s sea cows)...

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DNA is emerging as an excellent medium for storing data. Image credit: Shipman et al, doi: 10.1038/nature23017.

Researchers Replay Digital Movie Encoded in Bacterial DNA

Jul 13, 2017 by News Staff

For the first time, researchers have used the CRISPR-Cas microbial immune system to encode a primitive digital movie into — and then ‘play it back’...

Willems et al identified 16 genetic variants associated with maximal hand grip strength. Image credit: Skeeze.

Major Study Identifies Common Genetic Variants Associated with Muscle Strength

Jul 12, 2017 by News Staff

In a genome-wide association study, researchers from the University of Cambridge and elsewhere have identified 16 common genetic variants which influence...

Triticum turgidum. Image credit: Stan Shebs / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Researchers Reconstruct Genome of Wild Wheat

Jul 10, 2017 by News Staff

An international research team led by Tel Aviv University scientist Dr. Assaf Distelfeld has reconstructed the genome of the wild wheat Triticum turgidum,...

Nebamun hunting in the marshes with his wife and daughter, part of a wall painting from the tomb-chapel of Nebamun, Thebes, New Kingdom, 1350 BC. Image credit: Werner Forman Archive / Bridgeman Images.

Ancient and Modern DNA Reveal How Cats Conquered World

Jun 21, 2017 by News Staff

According to a new analysis of modern and ancient cat DNA, today’s domestic cat is a descendant of both the Near Eastern and Egyptian populations of...

Insomnia is one of the most common health problems. Image credit: Dan Fa.

Scientists Discover First Genes for Insomnia

Jun 12, 2017 by News Staff

Researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and elsewhere have identified seven risk genes for insomnia. Insomnia is one of the most common health problems....

The Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). Image credit: Sandra Leander, Arizona State University.

Researchers Sequence Genome of Mojave Desert Tortoise

Jun 5, 2017 by Enrico de Lazaro

An Arizona State University-led team of scientists has sequenced the genome of the Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), a long-lived species native...

CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing can cause hundreds of unintended mutations. Image credit: Lisichik.

CRISPR-Cas9 Editing Can Cause Unexpected Mutations, Researchers Say

May 30, 2017 by News Staff

As CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing starts to move into clinical trials, a research team led by scientists at Columbia University Medical Center has found that...

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea). Image credit: George Hodan.

Spinach Genome Sequenced

May 29, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of researchers from Cornell University’s Boyce Thompson Institute and Shanghai Normal University has produced the first high-quality...

According to Williams et al, the earliest metabolisms of the Archaea were based on the anaerobic reduction of carbon dioxide, and likely evolved during the earliest period of Earth’s evolutionary history. This is an artist’s impression of an Archean landscape. Image credit: Tim Bertelink / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Scientists Improve Evolutionary Tree of Life for Archaea

May 28, 2017 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international group of researchers from UK, France, Hungary and Sweden has provided new insights into the origins of the Archaea, the group of simple...

This digitally-colorized scanning electron microscopic image depicts Enterococcus faecalis. Image credit: Pete Wardell / CDC.

First Enterococci Appeared on Earth during Ordovician Period, Says Study

May 11, 2017 by News Staff

According to a new study published today in the journal Cell, the enterococci — gram-positive aerobic bacteria and a leading cause of hospital-acquired...

Stages of liver disease. Image credit: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Researchers Identify Liver Fibrosis-Causing Protein

May 4, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has identified a long-sought protein that causes liver fibrosis (scarring), paving the way for new treatments. The...

Tea Tree Genome Sequenced

May 2, 2017 by News Staff

A multi-institutional team of researchers from China and the United States has sequenced the genome of the cultivated tea tree (Camellia sinensis). A tea...

Schematic of the analyses conducted to discover longevity associated variants (LAV), LAV with significant joint effect on extreme longevity (jLAV), and LAV with effects on extreme survival age (eSAV). The top panels include description of the four studies (SICS - Southern Italian Centenarian Study, LLFS - Long Life Family Study, LGP - Longevity Gene Project, NECS - New England Centenarian Study) and additional controls from the Illumina repository. Image credit: Sebastiani et al, doi: 10.1093/gerona/glx027.

Geneticists Identify New Extreme Longevity Variants

May 1, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of researchers from the United States and Italy has identified new genetic variants associated with extreme survival and reduced...

Representatives from each of the 23 clades of breeds. Breeds and clades are listed for each picture from left to right, top to bottom: (A) Akita/Asian spitz; (B) Shih tzu/Asian toy; (C) Icelandic sheepdog/Nordic spitz; (D) Miniature schnauzer/schnauzer; (E) Pomeranian/small spitz; (F) Brussels griffon/toy spitz; (G) Puli/Hungarian; (H) Standard poodle/poodle; (I) Chihuahua/American toy; (J) Rat terrier/American terrier; (K) Miniature pinscher/pinscher; (L) Irish terrier/terrier; (M) German shepherd dog/New World; (N) Saluki/Mediterranean; (O) Basset hound/scent hound; (P) American cocker spaniel/spaniel; (Q) Golden retriever/retriever; (R) German shorthaired pointer/pointer setter; (S) Briard/continental herder; (T) Shetland sheepdog/UK rural; (U) Rottweiler/drover; (V) Saint Bernard/alpine; (W) English mastiff/European mastiff. Image credit: Parker et al, doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.03.079.

DNA Study Sheds Light on Evolution of Dog Breeds

May 1, 2017 by News Staff

Genetic material from 161 modern breeds helped a team of researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes...

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

Denisovan and Neanderthal DNA Uncovered in Caves without Skeletal Remains

Apr 28, 2017 by News Staff

New research led by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA) shows that Pleistocene cave sediments represent a rich source of ancient...

The thickness of the cerebral cortex is correlated with the epigenetic profile of immune-related genes. Image credit: University of Basel.

Scientists Find Link between Immune System, Memory and Structure of Brain

Apr 27, 2017 by News Staff

In two separate studies, researchers have demonstrated that both the structure of the brain and several memory functions are linked to immune-related genes. The...

Barley (Hordeum vulgare). Image credit: Kang B.C.H.

Researchers Sequence Barley Genome

Apr 27, 2017 by News Staff

The International Barley Genome Sequencing Consortium, which is led by Dr. Nils Stein of the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research,...

Red-eyed Nasonia vitripennis. Image credit: Li et al, doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-00990-3.

Scientists Use CRISPR-Cas9 to Create Red-Eyed Mutant Wasps

Apr 20, 2017 by News Staff

Genetic scientists from the University of California, Riverside, and the W.M. Keck Science Department of Claremont McKenna, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges,...

A variation in the human circadian clock gene CRY1 is associated with a familial form of delayed sleep phase disorder, providing genetic underpinnings for ‘night owls.’ Clock and Bmal1 are circadian activator proteins. Image credit: Patke et al, doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.03.027.

Researchers Identify ‘Night Owl’ Gene Variant

Apr 11, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of scientists led by the Rockefeller University has discovered that a variant of the human gene CRY1 (cryptochrome circadian clock...

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