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Genetic Archaeology News - December 2009 Archives
 | Two thousand years after Pliny the Elder compiled one of the earliest surviving encyclopedic works, and in the spirit of his goal of providing "light to the obscure," the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute has published the initial "volume" of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea (GEBA). An analysis of the first 56 genomes representing two of the three domains of the tree of life appears in the Dec. 24 edition of Nature. ...> Full Article |
 | A international team of scientists has discovered how changes in both gene expression and gene sequence led to the diversity of visual systems in African cichlid fish. ...> Full Article |
 | Tel Aviv University now has its own deep sequencer -- one of the first in Israel -- a Genome Analyzer housed in a new Genome Facility. The tool will add an important new capability to Tel Aviv University research, including identifying DNA's micro-managers, small micro-RNA that regulate how our genes work. ...> Full Article |
 | Take a close look at your Christmas tree -- it has seven times more genetic material (DNA) than you do! ...> Full Article |
 | People who identify as African-American may be as little as 1 percent West African or as much as 99 percent, just one finding of a large-scale, genome-wide study of ancestry released by the Un9iversity of Pennsylvania and Cornell University. ...> Full Article |
 | Dark spots on flower petals are common across many angiosperm plant families and occur on flowers such as some lilies, orchids, and daisies. Much research has been done on the physiological and behavioral mechanisms for how these spots attract pollinators. But have you ever wondered what these spots are composed of, how they develop, or how they only appear on some but not all of the ray florets? ...> Full Article |
 | The DNA of a 1st century shrouded man found in a tomb on the edge of the Old City of Jerusalem has revealed the earliest proven case of leprosy. Details of the research will be published December 16 in the PLoS ONE Journal. ...> Full Article |
 | Researchers have discovered a previously unknown gene ZBED6 that is unique to placental mammals. The gene originates from a so called jumping gene that integrated in the genome of a primitive mammal at least 150 million years ago and has since then evolved an essential function. The study is published in PLoS Biology today.
...> Full Article |
 | Woolly mammoths and ancient horses may have survived longer than scientists currently think, according to new research on ancient DNA fragments found in Alaskan soil samples. ...> Full Article |
Analysis of ancient DNA has shown that Woolly mammoths and prehistoric horses grazed on the North American Plains, for several thousand years longer than hitherto assumed.
...> Full Article
While most school children understand that green plants photosynthesize, absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, few people consider the profound global-scale effects that photosynthesis has had on Earth. One of those actively shedding light on the origins and evolution of photosynthesis is Jeffrey Touchman, assistant professor in Arizona State University's School of Life Sciences.
...> Full Article
 | A team of researchers from the Astrobiology Centre has shown that hydrogen cyanide, urea and other substances considered essential to the formation of the most basic biological molecules can be obtained from the salt Prussian blue. In order to carry out this study, published in the journal Chemistry & Biodiversity, the scientists recreated the chemical conditions of the early Earth. ...> Full Article |
 | The sequences of nonsense DNA that interrupt genes could be far more important to the evolution of genomes than previously thought, according to a recent Science report by Indiana University Bloomington and University of New Hampshire biologists. Their study of the model organism Daphnia pulex (water flea) is the first to demonstrate the colonization of a single lineage by "introns," as the interrupting sequences are known. ...> Full Article |
 | Ancient DNA retrieved from extinct horse species from around the world has challenged one of the textbook examples of evolution -- the fossil record of the horse family Equidae over the past 55 million years. ...> Full Article |
The first study of its kind, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, detected the stress hormone cortisol in the hair of ancient Peruvians, who lived between 550 and 1532 A.D.
...> Full Article
Humans have the same receptors for detecting odors related to sex as do other apes and primates. But each species uses them in different ways, stemming from the way the genes for these receptors have evolved over time, according to Duke University researchers.
...> Full Article
 | Humans share at least 97 percent of their genes with chimpanzees, but, as a new study of transcription factors makes clear, what you have in your genome may be less important than how you use it. ...> Full Article |
Researchers in Japan have found that female mice produced by using genetic material from two mothers but no father live significantly longer than mice with the normal mix of maternal and paternal genes. Their findings, published in Human Reproduction journal on Wednesday, December 2, provide the first evidence that sperm genes may have a detrimental effect on lifespan in mammals.
...> Full Article
 | Multiple independent associations between Rhizobiales and herbivorous ants provides strong evidence that symbiotic bacteria have facilitated the evolution of nectar and exudate-feeding life histories in ants and their radiation into otherwise inhospitable rainforest canopy habitats, providing a novel instance of innovation through symbiosis. ...> Full Article |
 | Scientists in Ecology Letters reveal the evolutionary step which allowed flowering plants to become the most abundant and ecologically successful group of plants on Earth. ...> Full Article |
 | Millions of shark fins are sold annually to satisfy the demand for shark fin soup, a Chinese delicacy. Now, scientists using DNA tools have figured out how to trace sharks' fins from the Hong Kong market all the way back to the sharks' homes, and have found that endangered populations are still being exploited. These findings highlight the need for better protection from international trade, which CITES will consider at its March meeting in Qatar. ...> Full Article |
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Fish can recognize a face based on UV pattern alone
'Anaconda' meets 'Jurassic Park': Study shows ancient snakes ate dinosaur babies
Scientists locate apparent hydrothermal vents off Antarctica
Mars Express heading for closest flyby of Phobos
Artificial bee silk a big step closer to reality
Predicting the fate of stem cells
Artificial foot recycles energy for easier walking
New fiber nanogenerators could lead to electric clothing
What drives our genes? Researchers map the first complete human epigenome
Juggling enhances connections in the brain
Tracking down the human 'odorprint'
Fill 'er up - with algae
Scientists discover quantum fingerprints of chaos
Researchers help identify cows that gain more while eating less
Scientific breakthrough in genetic studies of animal domestication
Scientists discover 600 million-year-old origins of vision
Unselfish molecules may have helped give birth to the genetic material of life
Exploring Echinacea's enigmatic origins
Lizard moms choose the right genes for the right gender offspring
Modern man found to be generally monogamous, moderately polygamous
Ancient DNA from rare fossil reveals that polar bears evolved recently and adapted quickly
Does promiscuity prevent extinction?
Stickleback genomes shining bright light on evolution
Researchers uncover DNA sequence of extinct ancient cattle
Small dogs originated in the Middle East