Genetic Archaeology News - April 2009 Archives

Origins of wolverine in California genetically verified (4/30/2009)

Study provides first evidence of connection between Rocky, Sierra Nevada Mountain populations ...> Full Article

Findings uncover new details about mysterious virus (4/29/2009)

An international team of researchers has determined key structural features of the largest known virus, findings that could help scientists studying how the simplest life evolved and whether the unusual virus causes any human diseases.The mimivirus has been called a possible "missing link" between viruses and living cells. It was discovered accidentally by French scientists in 1992 but wasn't confirmed to be a virus until 2003. ...> Full Article

Chromosome breakpoints contribute to genetic variation (4/25/2009)

A new study reveals that -- contrary to decades of evolutionary thought -- chromosome regions that are prone to breakage when new species are formed are a rich source of genetic variation. ...> Full Article

Bovine genome provides clue to evolution, better beef and milk (4/24/2009)

Sequencing of the bovine genome provides new information about mammalian evolution as well as cattle-specific biology and points the way to research that could result in more sustainable food production in a world challenged by global population growth ...> Full Article

Free online toolkit provides standard measures for genome and population studies (4/21/2009)

The National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced the release of the first version of a free online toolkit aimed at standardizing measurements of research subjects' physical characteristics and environmental exposures. The tools will give researchers more power to compare data from multiple studies. ...> Full Article

Genetic switch potential key to new class of antibiotics (4/20/2009)

Findings add to the argument that RNA, not DNA, was first genetic material ...> Full Article

A secret to night vision found in DNA's unconventional 'architecture' (4/19/2009)

Researchers have discovered an important element for making night vision possible in nocturnal mammals: the DNA within the photoreceptor rod cells responsible for low light vision is packaged in a very unconventional way, according to a report in the April 17 issue of Cell, a Cell Press publication. That special DNA architecture turns the rod cell nuclei themselves into tiny light-collecting lenses, with millions of them in every nocturnal eye. ...> Full Article

The story of X - evolution of a sex chromosome (4/18/2009)

First evolutionary study of X chromosome shows how X compensates for degeneration of Y ...> Full Article

Parasite breaks its own DNA to avoid detection (4/17/2009)

Double-stranded DNA breaks are the key to Trypanosoma brucei's getaway plan ...> Full Article

Study confirms 3 Neanderthal sub-groups (4/15/2009)

The Neanderthals inhabited a vast geographical area extending from Europe to western Asia and the Middle East 30,000 to 100,000 years ago. Now, a group of researchers are questioning whether or not the Neanderthals constituted a homogenous group or separate sub-groups (between which slight differences could be observed). A new study published April 15 in the online, open-access, peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE may provide some answers. ...> Full Article

Genes from tiny marine algae suggest unsuspected avenues for new research (4/12/2009)

By sequencing the DNA of two tiny marine algae, a team of scientists has opened up a myriad of possibilities for new research in algal physiology, plant biology, and marine ecology. ...> Full Article

Ancestors of African Pygmies and neighboring farmers separated around 60,000 years ago (4/11/2009)

All African Pygmies, inhabiting a large territory extending west-to-east along Central Africa, descend from a unique population who lived around 20,000 years ago, according to an international study led by researchers at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. The research, published April 10 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, concludes that the ancestors of present-day African Pygmies and farmers separated ~60,000 years ago. ...> Full Article

Is love at first sight real? Geneticists offer tantalizing clues (4/8/2009)

Research published in the journal Genetics shows that the reproductive outcome of a mated pair depends on pre-existing gene expression in the female and on the male with whom she mates ...> Full Article

Poison: It's what's for dinner (4/7/2009)

Hunt narrows for genes that let packrats eat creosote ...> Full Article

Early family ties: No sponge in the human family tree (4/4/2009)

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen researchers have confirmed the genetic similarity -- and thus the previously unresolved relationships -- between certain types of sponges, cnidaria and other animal groups that made an early appearance in evolution. Their results could also help trace back the developmental history of organ systems. ...> Full Article

Tropical forest seed banks: A blast from the past (4/3/2009)

Using the Lab's Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry to measure the amount of carbon 14 in seeds of the trees Croton billbergianus (Euphorbiaceae), Trema micrantha (Celtidaceae) and Zanthoxylum ekmannii (Rutaceae), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientist Tom Brown and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign colleague James Dalling found that seeds survived in the soil for 38, 31 and 18 years, respectively. ...> Full Article

DNA from old insects - no need to destroy the specimen (4/2/2009)

In a new study published April 1 in the online, open-access, peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE, ancient DNA is retrieved from various insect remains without destruction of the specimens. ...> Full Article