Genetics & Molecular Biology

Replication May Explain Copy Number Variation In Genes And Diseases

Genome rearrangements, resulting in variations in the numbers of copies of genes, occur when the cellular process that copies DNA during cell division stalls and then switches to a different genetic “template,” said researchers at Baylor College of Medicin ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 28 2007 - 8:30am

Study Reveals A Deeply Hidden Layer Of The Transcriptome

Cells keep a close watch over the transcriptome – the totality of all parts of the genome that are expressed in any given cell at any given time. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of Missouri-Kansas City teamed up ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 31 2007 - 12:41am

What Genes Did We Lose To Become Human?

When we think of the genetic changes that had to take place during our evolutionary history, we typically think of changes that resulted in a gain of function, like genetic changes that resulted in a larger and more sophisticated brain, improved teeth for ...

Article - Michael White - Jan 7 2008 - 5:18pm

Are You A Cat Genome Person Or A Dog Genome Person?

A recent issue of Genome Research contains a report of the cat genome sequence (Pontius et al. 2007), adding Felis catus to the rapidly growing collection of animal genome sequences. One of the reasons that the number of mammal sequences is increasing so q ...

Article - T. Ryan Gregory - Jan 12 2008 - 11:29am

Genes Related To Body Weight Almost 25 Percent Of The Human Genome

Researchers from the Monell Chemical Senses Center have attempted to count the number of genes that contribute to obesity and body weight- and it isn't a pretty number. The findings suggest that over 6,000 genes, almost 25 percent of the genome, could ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 15 2008 - 8:30am

SNPs Not Just Junk- Tiny Differences Have Huge Consequences

A study led by McGill University researchers has demonstrated that small differences between individuals at the DNA level can lead to dramatic differences in the way genes produce proteins. These, in turn, are responsible for the vast array of differences ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 19 2008 - 11:37am

Sequencing 1000 Human Genomes- How Many Do We Really Need?

A group of the world's leading sequencing centers have announced plans to sequence 1000 human genomes. The cost of the first human genome project was about $3 billion; by comparison, the next 1000 will be a steal at possibly only $50 million dollars ( ...

Article - Michael White - Jan 28 2008 - 11:50pm

Blue-Eyed People Have One Common Ancestor

A team at the University of Copenhagen have tracked down a genetic mutation which took place 6-10,000 years ago and is the cause of the eye color of all blue-eyed humans alive on the planet today. What is the genetic mutation? “Originally, we all had brown ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 30 2008 - 9:30pm

And Water Bear It Is!

As large, visually-oriented mammals, we have long had a tendency to consider biological diversity primarily in terms of what we can see. There is, however, an entire world of creatures rarely encountered but no less unique and intriguing for it. Sometimes, ...

Article - T. Ryan Gregory - Jul 14 2017 - 12:09pm

ENPP1 Gene Linked To Pre-Term Birth In Hispanics

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found that the gene ENPP1 is linked to preterm birth and low birth weight among Hispanic women. Errol Norwitz, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 2 2008 - 12:26pm