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Tag Archives: genetics

Deadly new flu

By Stephen Ornes / April 24, 2013

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The germ responsible carries genes from other flu viruses

Posted in Body & Health | Tagged Ana Fernandez-Sesma, animals, Beijing, bird flu, cells, chicken, China, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, gene swapping, genetics, getinvolved, H7N9, infection, infectious disease, Influenza, microbes, microbiology, Rongbao Gao, Shanghai, topstories, virus, World Health Organization, zoonotic

Whale of a lesson

By Eric Wagner / March 7, 2013

A North Atlantic right whale lifts its tail to dive in the Bay of Fundy. Credit: Eric Wagner

Once given up as all but extinct, the North Atlantic right whale is making a comeback

Posted in Animals | Tagged Amy Knowlton, baleen, biology, blubber, callosity, cetaceans, citizen science, conservation, ecology, entanglement, feature, fishing, genes, genetics, keratin, mammalogy, marine policy, marine science, Mark Baumgartner, Moira Brown, New England Aquarium, oceans, right whales, Saint Mary’s University, Scott Kraus, shipping, ships, Tim Frasier, whale oil, Whales, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Fancy feather gene

By Stephen Ornes / February 15, 2013

This Indian fantail, one of 350 breeds of rock pigeons, has a tuft of feathers called a peak crest. Scientists recently pinpointed the gene mutation responsible for this feather formation. Credit: Michael Shapiro

A tweak in a single pigeon gene causes a distinct feather formation

Posted in Animals | Tagged birds, cells, crests, DNA, feathers, genes, genetic mutations, genetics, getinvolved, Michael Shapiro, University of Utah

Healthier mice, through X-rays

By Stephen Ornes / November 29, 2012

Scientists found that sickly agouti mice, which carry a gene that colors their coat yellow, benefit from a small dose of radiation. These benefits were blocked by vitamins, though, turning conventional ideas about radiation and vitamins upside down. Credit: The Transgenic Core Facility

In sickly mice, small doses of radiation helped while vitamins harmed

Posted in Body & Health | Tagged biology, cells, DNA, epigenetics, genetics, getinvolved, methylation, radiation, topstories, toxicology, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, University of Wisconsin–Madison, X-rays

The rest of your DNA

By Stephen Ornes / September 25, 2012

An international team of scientists has determined that a good chunk of our DNA may act as switches that turn genes “on” and “off.” Credit: National Human Genome Research Institute

Surprise: Scientists find most of human DNA molecule carries out important functions

Posted in Body & Health | Tagged cells, DNA, ENCODE, Eric Green, gene, genetic material, genetics, genome, getinvolved, human genome, National Human Genome Research Institute, proteins, topstories

Twins don’t share everything

By Stephen Ornes / July 31, 2012

At birth, identical twins have differences in the chemical markers attached to their DNA. These differences may help explain why they don't look exactly the same. Credit: Todd Huffman

Twins carry different flags on their DNA, even from birth

Posted in Body & Health | Tagged Arturas Petronis, cells, classical genetics, DNA, embryos, epigenetic, epigenetics, genes, genetics, getinvolved, heredity, Jeffrey Craig, methyl groups, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, twins, University of Toronto, wins