Genetics & Molecular Biology

A Misplaced Concern About An Arctic Apple

As a consumer and as an agricultural scientist, I’m looking forward to the introduction of the Arctic® apple. It is possibly nearing approval by regulators in the US and Canada which could mean that supplies might finally be available in a few more years. ...

Article - Steve Savage - Dec 11 2014 - 5:30pm

GTPBP3 Mutations Cause Mitochondrial Translation Defect- And Diseases

Diseases of dysfunctional mitochondria, also known as mitochondrial diseases, have a prevalence of  up to 1 in 2,000 people and predominantly affect children, though adult-onset disorders are also recognized. An international collaboration has discovered t ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 13 2014 - 8:30am

Cellular Hydrogen Peroxide- A New Twist On The Free Radical Antioxidant Relationship

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a strong oxidizer. You may know it as a wound disinfectant or as a bleaching agent for hair and teeth but it is also created naturally in our bodies, as part of our cellular oxidation. H2O2 belongs to a group of natural chemica ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 18 2014 - 10:43am

You Can Self-identify With Any Ancestry You Want, But Genetically...

There is a running joke in America that there are three times as many people in the U.S. claiming to be Irish as there are actual people in Ireland.  Though it's nice to claim to be Irish because of a last name, America is a melting pot. And it is so ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 18 2014 - 3:05pm

When Embryonic Stem Cells Don't Know What To Make Of Themselves

A new paper has found that inhibiting or blocking stem cells ability to make a specific decision, leads to better cell growth and could lead to defined ways to differentiate stem cells. Th authors say their research is the first comprehensive analysis of ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 18 2014 - 1:25pm

RNA Measurements Are Overstated In Gene Expression Studies

It is common in some fields to infer that differences in one area will ultimately reflect differences in the end product. Though the real abuse and misuse is with neuroscience and tools like fMRI imaging, they are not alone.  Geneticists have also commonl ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 28 2014 - 12:27pm

Neutrophils- How The Immune System's ATVs Get Around

Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell and are summoned to fight infections or injury in any tissue or organ in the body, regardless of cellular and biochemical composition. How do neutrophils, the body's all terrain vehicles, move in these confi ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 27 2014 - 1:30pm

Hair Growth With A Little Help From Macrophages- And Skin Regeneration

Previous studies of hair loss have identified signals from the skin that help prompt new phases of hair growth and a new study reveals a new way to spur hair growth.  ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 26 2014 - 4:30pm

How Enzymes Work

Enzymes are crucial for assisting virtually all biological processes, but there has been little consensus on how they work. Molecular processes crucial to life are made possible by these but beyond that less is known.  Chemists looking inside a working enz ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 25 2014 - 10:08pm

Moderate Drinking Is Healthy- For 15 Percent Of The Population

It's commonly said that moderate alcohol consumption is good for people, but no one knew why and the determination of moderate was arbitrary. A new study of 618 Swedes with coronary heart disease and a control group of 3,000 healthy subjects lent evi ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 4 2015 - 10:00am