Genetics & Molecular Biology

Genetic Ancestry Partially Explains A Racial Sleep Difference

A new study clearly establishes a partial genetic basis underlying racial differences in slow-wave sleep, suggesting that it may be possible to develop sleep-related therapies that target specific genetic variants. Using a panel of 1,698 ancestry informat ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 1 2015 - 6:30am

Reduced Vitamin D And Multiple Sclerosis Risk Linked

Vitamin D is being blamed for or is linked to curing everything in 2015, and so it is little surprise a paper uses a genetic study to bolster observational evidence that lower vitamin D levels are associated with increased risk of multiple sclerosis. ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 27 2015 - 6:28am

Spiky Filaments For Egg Fusion: Sperm Wield Tiny Harpoons

Could the sperm harpoon the egg to facilitate fertilization? That's the intriguing possibility raised by the University of Virginia School of Medicine's discovery that a protein within the head of the sperm forms spiky filaments, suggesting that ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 28 2015 - 1:35pm

Fetal Attraction: How Baby Cells Impact Maternal Health During Pregnancy

Parents go to great lengths to ensure the health and well-being of their developing offspring. The favor, however, may not always be returned. Dramatic research has shown that during pregnancy, cells of the fetus often migrate through the placenta, taking ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 28 2015 - 11:25am

Disruption Of A Crucial Cellular Machine May Kill The Engine Of Deadly Cancers

In a way, cancer resembles a runaway car with a gas pedal stuck to the floor, hurling out of control. Most new targeted cancer therapies seek to fix the gas pedal itself, and thus thwart the aggressive behavior of the tumor. But for many types of cancers, ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 7 2015 - 12:00pm

Mitochondria Mutation Protects Plants Against TNT- You Read That Right

Researchers have identified a mutation in plants that allows them to break down TNT, an explosive that has become highly prevalent in soil in the last century, particularly at manufacturing waste sites, mines, and military conflict zones. TNT, or 2,4,6-tr ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 9 2015 - 8:00am

Health Risks Of Saturated Fats Aggravated By Immune Response

High levels of saturated fat in the blood could make an individual more prone to inflammation and tissue damage, a new study suggests. Received wisdom on the health risks of eating saturated fat has been called into question recently. This new research su ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 9 2015 - 5:57pm

Fourth Wheat Gene Is Key To Flowering And Climate Adaptation

In the game of wheat genetics, Jorge Dubcovsky's laboratory at UC Davis has hit a grand slam, unveiling for the fourth time in a dozen years a gene that governs wheat vernalization, the biological process requiring cold temperatures to trigger flower ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 11 2015 - 7:00am

The FOIA Babe, and the New Abuse of Vanity Harassment

I’ve been a critic of the Food Babe for a long time. Actually, I’ve been the critic of anyone that attempts to manipulate the public perception of science, while presenting zero scientific evidence. Especially deplorable are those that use fear to force a ...

Blog Post - Kevin M. Folta - Sep 11 2015 - 1:43pm

Setting A New Standard For Science Transparency

Things have been a little intense lately and the little voice in my head keeps begging, "How did I get here?"   In other times of quiet introspection the little voice in my head says, "What would you have done differently?" What the hec ...

Article - Kevin M. Folta - Sep 22 2015 - 4:55pm