Genetics & Molecular Biology

Food Fear, Food Labels, And My Two Cents

If you want to scare somebody, convince them that there is a remote chance of danger in their food, water or medicine. Even if there is no evidence to back up the claim, people respond strongly to such information, causing them to abandon safe foods for al ...

Article - Kevin M. Folta - Sep 17 2012 - 4:34pm

"Arctic Grape" Genetically Altered Fruit, Escapes Public Approval

We are currently witnessing the USDA public commentary period on the Arctic Apple, a transgenic apple that does not exhibit browning upon injury or cutting.  The anti-browning trait was installed by scientists at Okanagan Specialty Fruits. A copy of the a ...

Article - Kevin M. Folta - Jul 16 2012 - 9:50pm

Thoughts From A "Shill For Monsanto"

Why Throw-Away Statements Harm the Anti-GMO Movement As an academic research scientist active at the public interface, I enjoy communicating about complex science topics. With regard to trasngenic (GMO) crops, if you read my blogs, comments left online, o ...

Article - Kevin M. Folta - Sep 17 2012 - 4:37pm

Synthetic Life? Silicone And Cardiac Tissue Becomes Medusoid- Swimming 'Jellyfish'

Silicone and living cardiac muscle cells have been combined to form a freely swimming "jellyfish", proof of concept for reverse engineering a variety of muscular organs and simple life forms. It also suggests a broader definition of what counts a ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 22 2012 - 12:48pm

Oocytes: Maybe That Biological Clock No Longer Ticks

Is there a 'biological clock' that women recognize innately, and act on accordingly? New research casts some doubt on that. ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 26 2012 - 6:33pm

Mathematicians Solve A Mystery Of MicroRNA

Mathematicians have proposed a new solution to understanding a MicroRNA puzzle; different and sometimes conflicting theories about ways in which microRNAs regulate protein production, since the results varied depending on only slightly changed experimental ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 3 2012 - 10:02am

Let’s Recap The ‘DNA Games’: At The London Olympics, Segregation Returns With A Vengeance (And That's Not So Bad)

Led by 100-meter world record holder Usain Bolt, Jamaican men swept the sprinting events at the London Olympics. It was a stunning feat for the small Caribbean nation. But as part of a broader trend, it’s hardly surprising. Runners of West African descent ...

Article - Jon Entine - Aug 13 2012 - 5:33pm

CLARITY Challenge: 30 Team Shootout To Interpret DNA Sequences Of Three Kids With Rare Conditions

DNA sequencing is getting faster and cheaper, but it's still pretty scary to patients who don't understand the difference between a risk factor and 'I have a gene for this disease'- doctors are also still unclear how they will be able t ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 16 2012 - 4:30am

Mutant? Blame Your Father

Humans inherit more than three times as many mutations from their fathers as from their mothers, and mutation rates increase with the father's age but not the mother's, researchers have found in the largest study of human genetic mutations to dat ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 24 2012 - 12:00pm

The Mystery Of Cucumber Coiling

Instead of unwinding into a flat ribbon when stretched, like an untwisted coil normally would, a cucumber’s tendrils actually coil further- which has led to discovery of a biological mechanism for coiling and an unusual type of spring that is soft when pul ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 30 2012 - 10:36pm