Genetics News | Sci.News

Amoebidium appalachense is a unique model to understand the hybrid origins of eukaryotic DNA. Image credit: Alex de Mendoza.

Biologists Find Ancient Giant Virus Insertions in Genome of Unicellular Parasite

Jul 16, 2024 by News Staff

Amoebidium appalachense, a protist closely related to animals, harbors the remnants of ancient giant viruses woven into its own genetic code, according...

A model of a Neanderthal man in modern clothing. Image credit: H. Neumann / Neanderthal Museum.

Homo sapiens and Neanderthals Interacted Over 200,000-Year Period, Study Reveals

Jul 11, 2024 by News Staff

New research shows that recurrent episodes of gene flow, beginning 250,000 to 200,000 years ago, affected the genomes and biology of both modern humans...

Sandoval-Velasco et al. assembled the genome and 3D chromosomal structures of a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth. Image credit: Sandoval-Velasco et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.06.002.

52,000-Year-Old Woolly Mammoth Skin Retained Its Ancient Genome Architecture: Study

Jul 11, 2024 by News Staff

Scientists from Baylor College of Medicine and elsewhere say they have discovered subfossils of ancient chromosomes in the remains of a female woolly mammoth...

Dingoes are culturally and ecologically important free-living canids whose ancestors arrived in Australia over 3,000 years ago, likely transported by seafaring people. Image credit: Karlel.

New DNA Study Sheds Light on Early History of Dingoes in Australia

Jul 9, 2024 by News Staff

Dingoes (Canis dingo) are an iconic element of Australia’s biodiversity, but evidence-based management and conservation of dingoes depend on understanding...

The greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis), 1988. Image credit: Queensland Government / CC BY 4.0.

Researchers Sequence Genomes of Greater and Lesser Bilbies

Jul 1, 2024 by News Staff

In collaboration with Indigenous rangers and conservation managers, scientists from the University of Sydney and elsewhere have decoded the genomes of...

A trio of woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) trudges over snow covered hills; behind them, mountains with snow covered peaks rise above dark green forests of fir trees. Image credit: Daniel Eskridge.

Wrangel Island’s Woolly Mammoth Population was Demographically Stable Up Until Its Extinction

Jun 28, 2024 by News Staff

Woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) became isolated on Wrangel Island off the coast of Siberia around 10,000 years ago and persisted for over 200 generations...

Coffee drinking is a heritable habit, and one that carries a certain amount of genetic baggage. Image credit: Sci.News.

New Study Sheds More Light on Genetics of Coffee Consumption

Jun 19, 2024 by News Staff

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages. In new research, scientists from the University of California, San Diego and elsewhere performed a...

Librado et al. found that reproductive control of the modern domestic lineage emerged around 2,200 BCE. Image credit: Vera Khramova.

Domestication of Modern Horse Didn’t Occur before 2,700 BCE, DNA Study Suggests

Jun 7, 2024 by News Staff

Horses revolutionized human history with fast mobility. However, the timeline between their domestication and widespread integration as a means of transportation...

Tmesipteris oblanceolata. Image credit: Pol Fernández.

New Caledonian Fern Species Has Largest Genome of Any Living Organism

Jun 3, 2024 by News Staff

Tmesipteris oblanceolata — a rare species of fork fern found on the island nation of New Caledonia, an overseas French territory situated in the...

The pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens) is cultivated worldwide owing to its distinct aroma and commercial value. Image credit: Yang et al., doi: 10.1093/hr/uhae022.

Pineapple Mint Genome Sequenced

May 28, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Researchers have successfully decoded the genome of the pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens), a herb highly valued for its distinct aroma and medicinal properties. The...

Moa browsed trees and shrubs within the forest understorey. Image credit: Heinrich Harder.

Researchers Sequence Genome of Extinct Little Bush Moa

May 27, 2024 by News Staff

Using ancient DNA recovered from a fossil bone from New Zealand’s South Island, scientists from Harvard University and elsewhere have generated a draft...

The baobab tree in Senegal. Image credit: Viajesunion2.

New Research Provides Insights into Evolutionary History of Baobabs

May 16, 2024 by News Staff

Madagascar is the most plausible center of origin for the iconic baobabs, also known as upside-down trees, or the tree of life, according to new research. The...

Time-calibrated phylogenetic tree for angiosperms based on 353 nuclear genes; all 64 orders, all 416 families and 58% (7,923) of genera are represented. Image credit: Zuntini et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07324-0.

Researchers Construct New Family Tree for Flowering Plants

Apr 26, 2024 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has created the tree of life for almost 8,000 (about 60%) genera of flowering plants (angiosperms). This achievement...

Arabica Coffee Originated More Than 600,000 Years Ago in Ethiopia: Study

Apr 16, 2024 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has generated the highest quality reference genome to date of the world’s most popular coffee species, Arabica coffee...

Illustration of the body plan of a toothed whale, with a cross section of the head showing the melon (dark yellow) and the extramandibular fat bodies (light yellow) which are key organs for using sound such as echolocation. Image credit: Takeuchi et al., doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148167.

Echolocation Organs of Toothed Whales Evolved from Jaw Muscles, New Research Suggests

Apr 8, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Toothed whales have developed specialized echolocation abilities that are crucial for their underwater activities. Acoustic fat bodies — the melon...

The updated bird family tree delineating 93 million years of evolutionary relationships between 363 bird species. Image credit: Jon Fjeldså / Josefin Stiller.

Scientists Create Largest and Most Detailed Bird Family Tree to Date

Apr 1, 2024 by Natali Anderson

The updated family tree, detailed in two complementary papers published today in the journal Nature and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,...

The facial reconstruction (left) and the portrait (right) of the Chinese Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou dynasty. Image credit: Du et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.059.

Scientists Sequence Genome, Reconstruct Face of Chinese Emperor Wu

Mar 28, 2024 by News Staff

A team of researchers from Fudan University and elsewhere has successfully generated a genome of the Chinese Emperor Wu (Wudi) of the Xianbei-led Northern...

Saccharum officinarum. Image credit: Ton Rulkens / CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed.

Scientists Sequence Genome of Sugarcane

Mar 28, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Sugarcane, the world’s most harvested crop by tonnage, has shaped global history, trade and geopolitics, and is currently responsible for 80% of sugar...

The Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus). Image credit: Trebol-a / CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed.

Scientists Decode Etruscan Shrew Genome

Mar 20, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

Scientists have sequenced and analyzed the genome of the Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus), one of the world’s smallest mammals, with an average body...