Biologists have uncovered an important clue in the longtime mystery of how long strands of DNA fold up to squeeze into microscopic cells, with each pair of chromosomes aligned to ensure perfect development.
Read moreBiologists have found two genes that may permit some insect species to survive climate change by adjusting their biological annual clocks while others succumb. The researchers looked at the European corn borer moth and pinpointed variation in two circadian clock genes — per and Pdfr — that enable different populations of the moth to adapt their transitions to longer or shorter winters.
Read moreHybrid plants, which produced by crossing two different types of parents, often die in conditions in which both parents would survive. Certain hybrid tobacco plants, for example, thrive at 36 degrees Celsius, but die at 28 degrees Celsius, which is the temperature at which both parents would thrive. Researchers have begun to unravel the molecular mechanisms by which hybrid tobacco plant cells meet their demise.
Read moreScientists show, on the molecular level, how an experimental vaccine offers long-term protection against the disease.
Read moreSperm quality can be improved with a simple diet supplement containing a compound found in cooked tomatoes, according to new research.
Read moreThe glacial relict amphipod Gammaracanthus lacustris only occurs in deep and cold waters. A new study produced new information on the life cycle and ecology of this rare amphipod. G. lacustris is adapted to cold water and would probably not survive in rising water temperatures due to climate change.
Read moreScientists have provided an explanation of how chromosomes undergo structural changes during cell differentiation.
Read moreScientists have studied the diversity of tropical parasitoid wasps for years. Parasitoid wasps are among the most species rich animal taxa on Earth, but their tropical diversity is still poorly known. Recently, the research group sampled Afrotropical rhyssine wasps, which are among the largest wasps.
Read moreA new study offers an explanation for how ''protocells'' could have emerged on early Earth, eventually leading to the cells we know today. The work suggests that molecules called cyclophospholipids may have been the ingredient necessary for protocells to form important internal structures called vesicles, which likely kicked off the evolutionary process.
Read moreBorder collies are highly trainable, greyhounds love to chase, and German shepherds make good guard dogs. While the environment plays a role, traits like these are highly heritable, according to a study of 101 dog breeds. The work identifies 131 genetic variants associated with breed differences in behavior.
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