Genetic Archaeology News - March 2009 Archives
Researchers have unveiled the evolutionary origin of the different chromosomal architectures found in three species of Agrobacterium. A comprehensive comparison of the Agrobacterium sequence information with the genome sequences of other bacteria suggests a general model for how second chromosomes are formed in bacteria.
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 | The genetic toolkit animals use to build fins and limbs is the same one that controls the development of part of the gill skeleton in sharks. Also, the skeleton of any animal appendage is probably patterned by the developmental genetic program that regulates the formation of shark gills. This finding is consistent with an old theory, often discounted in textbooks, that fins and (later) limbs evolved from the gills of an extinct vertebrate. ...> Full Article |
A retrovirus related to HIV became stably integrated into the genome of several lemurs around 4.2 million years ago, according to research led by Dr. Cedric Feschotte at the University of Texas, Arlington. Published March 20 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, the analysis of prosimian immunodeficiency virus offers new insights into the evolution of lentiviruses.
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Hippos spend lots of time in the water and now it turns out (or researchers argue), they are the closest living relative to whales. It also turns out, the two are swimming in a bit of controversy. Jessica Theodor, biology professor at the University of Calgary, and her colleague Jonathan Geisler from Georgia Southern University are disputing a recent study that creates a different family tree for the hippo.
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 | NASA scientists analyzing the dust of meteorites have discovered new clues to a long-standing mystery about how life works on its most basic, molecular level. ...> Full Article |
Scientists from three universities have revealed that genes for a specific type of molecular secretion system in Rickettsia, a structure that is linked in many cases to virulence, have been conserved over many years of evolution.
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 | The new topographical approach reveals that DNA shape is constrained by evolution, and enhances detection of functional regions in the human genome ...> Full Article |
 | A new study of proteins, the molecular machines that drive all life, also sheds light on the history of living organisms. ...> Full Article |
Most aphids host mutualistic bacteria, Buchnera aphidicola, which live inside specialized cells called bacteriocytes. Buchnera are vital to the aphids well being as they provide essential amino acids that are scarce in its diet. Now research published in the open-access journal BMC Biology suggests that the aphids' ability to host Buchnera depends on genes they acquired from yet another species of bacteria via lateral gene transfer.
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 | Study of poison frogs the first to show that the Andes Mountains have been a major source of diversity for the Amazon basin ...> Full Article |
 | More and more information is being gathered about how human genes influence medically relevant traits, such as the propensity to develop a certain disease. The ultimate goal is to predict whether or not a given trait will develop later in life from the genome sequence alone (i.e. from the sequence of the bases that make up the DNA strands that store genetic information in every cell of the body). ...> Full Article |
Researchers have discovered that a long-defunct gene was resurrected during the course of human evolution. This is believed to be the first evidence of a doomed gene -- infection-fighting human IRGM -- making a comeback in the human/great ape lineage. The study, led by Evan Eichler's genome science laboratory at the University of Washington and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, is published March 6 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.
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Scientists discover 'catastrophic event' behind the halt of star birth in early galaxy formation
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
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
Fungi can change quickly, pass along infectious ability
Dogs likely originated in the Middle East, new genetic data indicate
Molecular study could push back angiosperm origins
Phylogenetic analysis of Mexican cave scorpions suggests adaptation to caves is reversable
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