Genetics & Molecular Biology

Link Found Between Insulin Sensitivity And Mitochondria

A new study in mice found that it might be possible to fine-tune mitochondria, tweaking one aspect to increase insulin sensitivity, reduce body and fat mass, and even extend life. The researchers say exploiting this target could one day lead to novel trea ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 29 2013 - 1:13pm

Genetic Combat: Operation Super Bug

Bacteria resistant to antibiotics may be the subjects of sci-fi Hollywood horror, but it is also the reality at hospitals across the country. There are ongoing complaints  that feeding animal antibiotics puts us all at risk to bacteria that are resistant t ...

Article - Rebecca Goldin - Feb 5 2013 - 5:54pm

Humanities Scholars Overturn Biology, Discover Trait-Based Politics In Fear Response

There are examples of positive political campaigns- Ronald Reagan appealed to what America could be, for example- but even that message of hope had an undercurrent of fear, namely that if things did not change, America would stay morassed in 1970s stagfla ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Dec 12 2013 - 2:56am

Bt Corn Benefits: More Than Rootworm Resistance

Bt corn, which is engineered to produce the bacterial toxin, Bt, that organic farmers spray on foods all of the time, is better than a pesticide because is naturally resists attack by the corn rootworm, a pest that feeds on roots and can cause losses of u ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 6 2013 - 6:26pm

More Gluten In New Wheat Not Responsible For More Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is not controversial, some people have always had it. But belief that it is on the rise- some claims are that the disease is four times more common today- rather than being diagnosed better, is controversial. And there is confusion created ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 7 2013 - 4:13pm

Uncharacterized Genes: Evolutionary Rates And A Clue

Humans have an unclear number of genes- ab initio gene finding and comparative gene finding yield different totals (see the Human Genome Project for details)- but it is likely in the low 20,000s and those genes make nearly as many proteins. The functions ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 9 2013 - 1:26pm

Brain Vs. Brawn In Carpenter Ants: A Chromatin Epigenetic Tale

Genome sequences of seven well-studied ant species give researchers a detailed look at molecular mechanisms- including what may be a basis for complex behavioral differences in two worker castes in the Florida carpenter ant, Camponotus floridanus- basical ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 13 2013 - 2:48pm

Single Genetic Mutation Produced Thick Hair 30,000 Years Ago

An animal model of recent human evolution found that a single mutation produced several traits common in East Asian people, from thicker hair to denser sweat glands. They also modeled the spread of the gene mutation across Asia and North America, concludi ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 14 2013 - 7:20pm

Marker That Identifies Stomach Cancer With Different Progressions Discovered

Researchers have discovered new subgroups of stomach cancer patients with different disease characteristics, information that could help improve the clinical management of a disease that still kills a dismaying 3 out of 4 patients.  ...

Article - Catarina Amorim - Apr 12 2013 - 10:41am

Molecules Assemble In Water- A Hint About The Origins Of Life?

The base pairs that hold together two pieces of RNA, the older cousin of DNA, are some of the most important molecular interactions in living cells. Many scientists believe that these base pairs were part of life from the very beginning and that RNA was o ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 24 2013 - 6:04pm