Genetics and Genomics News and Research

Latest Genetics and Genomics News and Research

Scientists Discover Specific Genes Involved in Rare, Life-Threatening Heart Disease

By identifying genes in patients and testing their effects in fruit flies, researchers from Sanford Burnham Prebys have found new genes that contribute to hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a rare, life-threatening heart disease that occurs in infants.

18 Jul 2023

New Study Identifies Aerobic Glycolysis Vital for Eye Development

According to a recent Northwestern Medicine study published in Nature Communications, aerobic glycolysis, the process by which cells convert glucose into lactate, is essential for eye development in mammals.

17 Jul 2023

5-ALA Opens New Avenues for Treating Mitochondrial Disorders

At the Tokyo Metropolitan University, researchers have shown that 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) aids bypass deficiencies in Complex I (CI), the first in a series of protein complexes that transport electrons and assist in powering the mitochondria.

17 Jul 2023

New Insights into the Regulatory Network of Th17 Cells

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most extensively studied RNA modification across multiple species, and its importance in the immune system has been demonstrated in a variety of contexts, including mRNA metabolism, cell differentiation, proliferation, and response to stimulation.

17 Jul 2023

New Toxin Found to Enhance Pathogen Infection and Disease Spread in Wheat

Although wheat was among the first domesticated food crops, it remains a global dietary staple several millennia later.

14 Jul 2023

Xenogeneic-Free Brain Organoids Offer New Hope for Studying Neurodegenerative Diseases

Researchers at University of Michigan developed a method to produce artificially grown miniature brains -; called human brain organoids -; free of animal cells that could greatly improve the way neurodegenerative conditions are studied and, eventually, treated.

14 Jul 2023

Using CRISPR to Improve Forest Resilience and Productivity

Researchers at North Carolina State University used a CRISPR gene-editing system to breed poplar trees with reduced levels of lignin, the major barrier to sustainable production of wood fibers, while improving their wood properties.

14 Jul 2023

Scientists Discover How Brain's "Population Clock" Guides Behavior

From Aristotle's musings on the nature of time to Einstein's theory of relativity, humanity has long pondered: how do we perceive and understand time? The theory of relativity posits that time can stretch and contract, a phenomenon known as time dilation. Just as the cosmos warps time, our neural circuits can stretch and compress our subjective experience of time. As Einstein famously quipped, "Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute".

14 Jul 2023

Scientists Identify "Footprints" of Participation Bias in Genetic Data

Why do some people take part in genetic studies while others do not? The answer may lie within our genetic makeup. According to a groundbreaking study by Oxford's Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science and Big Data Institute, people who participate in genetic studies are genetically more likely to do so, leaving detectable 'footprints' in genetics data. This breakthrough equips researchers with the ability to identify and address participation bias, a significant challenge in genetic research.

14 Jul 2023

New Study Shows How Butterflies and Moths Can Help Understand Evolution

Butterflies and moths share "blocks" of DNA dating back more than 200 million years, new research shows.

14 Jul 2023

Novel Drug Compound Reduces Sensory Hypersensitivity in Fragile X Mice

Boosting the activity of inhibitory interneurons in Fragile X mice reduced their hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli, according to a new Neuron study led by UCLA Health researchers.

14 Jul 2023

Revealing the Function of Retrotransposons

A retrotransposon, a parasitic DNA sequence that borrows the cell’s own machinery to accomplish its objectives, has been discovered.

13 Jul 2023

New Approach to Reverse Aging and Restore Cellular Function

Researchers have opened a new front in the battle against aging and diseases associated with old age through a ground-breaking study

13 Jul 2023

Gene Recognition of CRISPR-Cas Visualized With New Method

A novel technique has been devised by researchers from the University of Leipzig and the University of Vilnius in Lithuania to monitor the smallest twists and torques of molecules in milliseconds.

13 Jul 2023

Gene Duplication Gives Sea Snakes Expanded Color Vision

An international team of scientists examining the genetic history of sea snakes has found that the species has enhanced their color vision in response to living in brighter and more colorful marine environments.

13 Jul 2023

New Gene Discovery Could Revolutionize Sex Determination in Green Algae

An international team of researchers led by Dr. James Umen at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center has made a groundbreaking discovery in the world of developmental biology.

13 Jul 2023

Dad’s Genes “Remote Control” Mom’s Metabolism to Benefit Fetus

The unborn baby “remote controls” its mother’s metabolism, resulting in a nutritional tug-of-war between the two. The mother’s body requires the baby to survive, but she also needs enough glucose and fats in her system to be able to deliver the baby, breastfeed, and reproduce again.

12 Jul 2023

Genome of Xerces Blue Butterfly Reveals Extinction Story

The Xerces Blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche xerces) was native to the coastal dunes of San Francisco, in the United States. As the city grew, much of the butterfly's habitat was destroyed and its population was relegated to Golden Gate National Park.

12 Jul 2023

First 'Living Digital Camera' Stores Images in DNA

In a world first, a 'biological camera' bypasses the constraints of current DNA storage methods, harnessing living cells and their inherent biological mechanisms to encode and store data.

12 Jul 2023

The Mechanism of Immune Memory Development

The memory of the immune system depends on distinctive epigenetic traits and a particular 3D arrangement of the DNA in the nucleus of memory cells, allowing for rapid activation of these cells, according to a team of researchers from the Erasmus University Medical Center, the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), and the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute.

12 Jul 2023