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Study shows that Bubonic Plague had a long-term impact on immune gene expression

A new study shows that the Bubonic Plague has had a long-term impact on immune gene expression.

20 May 2021

Lack of functional GAS2 gene causes severe hearing impairment in mice

A gene called GAS2 plays a key role in normal hearing, and its absence causes severe hearing loss, according to a study led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

10 May 2021

Study suggests that bubonic plague had long-term impact on human immune genes

Scientists examining the remains of 36 bubonic plague victims from a 16th century mass grave in Germany have found the first evidence that evolutionary adaptive processes, driven by the disease, may have conferred immunity on later generations of people from the region.

7 May 2021

Study reveals genetic mutation associated with exfoliation syndrome

A team of researchers from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's (A*STAR) Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), as well as Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), have identified a genetic mutation (functionally defective CYP39A1 gene) associated with exfoliation syndrome, the most common cause of glaucoma.

5 May 2021

Study discovers that mutations in a specific gene cause mitochondrial disease

For the first time, a research team from Monash University has discovered that mutations in a specific gene cause mitochondrial disease.

29 Apr 2021

Ancient shells provide clues to better predict future warming and ocean acidification

Microscopic fossilized shells are helping geologists reconstruct Earth's climate during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a period of abrupt global warming and ocean acidification that occurred 56 million years ago.

9 Mar 2021

Researchers develop genetic patch to eliminate problems in hearing cells

They can hear well up to about forty years old, but then suddenly deafness strikes people with DFNA9. The cells of the inner ear can no longer reverse the damage caused by a genetic defect in their DNA.

3 Mar 2021

Researchers use CRISPR to tinker with corn kernel numbers

Corn--or maize--has changed over thousands of years from weedy plants that make ears with less than a dozen kernels to the cobs packed with hundreds of juicy kernels that we see on farms today. Powerful DNA-editing techniques such as CRISPR can speed up that process.

23 Feb 2021

Marine animals and ecosystems are negatively impacted by human-made noise

Rain falls lightly on the ocean's surface. Marine mammals chirp and squeal as they swim along. The pounding of surf along a distant shoreline heaves and thumps with metronomic regularity.

8 Feb 2021

Scientists show how plants adapt root growth to varying sources of nitrogen

Nitrogen is one of the most essential nutrients for plants. Its availability in the soil plays a major role in plant growth and development, thereby affecting agricultural productivity.

6 Jan 2021

Gene expression database sheds light on pneumococcal infection

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine published one of the most comprehensive analyses of how genes get expressed during infection (known as a transcriptome).

16 Dec 2020

Scientists use honey bee peptide to design RBC carriers that deliver therapeutic proteins

Most often, protein therapies are more selective and potent toward their biochemical targets when compared to other types of medicines, specifically small molecules.

10 Dec 2020

New gene therapy can protect visual function in patients with dominant optic atrophy

Researchers have created a novel gene therapy approach that shows promise for someday treating an eye disease that results in progressive vision loss.

27 Nov 2020

Climate change could mean fewer sunny days for hot regions banking on solar power

While solar power is a leading form of renewable energy, research suggests that global warming could be less viable in the future.

8 Oct 2020

Fungus in some organic pesticides can cause severe cob rot in maize

Protecting crops against pests and diseases is essential to ensure secure food supply. Around 95 percent of the food comes from conventional agriculture, which uses chemical pesticides to keep crops healthy. Increasingly, however, organic pesticides are also being sought as an alternative.

1 Oct 2020

Researchers analyze individual cells to build an atlas of the human heart

Scientists have created a cellular and molecular map of the healthy human heart, to understand how this vital organ functions, and to shed light on what goes wrong in cardiovascular disease.

25 Sep 2020

Researchers discover novel genes for human deafness in Israeli families

Until now, seven genes were known to be involved in hearing loss in Israel's Jewish population. A new study led by Zippora Brownstein, PhD, and Prof. Karen Avraham from the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University has found that 32 genes are responsible for inherited hearing loss in Israeli Jewish families.

24 Sep 2020

Study may lead to future treatments for hearing loss

Scientists have performed a study that has successfully established the role played by a crucial protein in the development of hair cells.

14 Sep 2020

Exploring evolutionary development of mammalian middle ear based on Cretaceous Jehol fossils

A joint research team led by Dr. MAO Fangyuan from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof. MENG Jin from the American Museum of Natural History has reported a new multituberculate mammal, Sinobaatar pani, with well-preserved middle ear bone

28 Aug 2020

Researchers find associations of lifelong antimicrobial drug use with saliva microbiota diversity

The human microbiota plays an important role in health and well-being by assisting in digestion, producing nutrients, resisting invading pathogens and regulating metabolism and the immune system.

25 Aug 2020