Category: Genetics

Scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the Institut de Biologia Evolutiva in Spain have sequenced the genome of a female Atlas blue butterfly (Polyommatus atlantica) and found that it has 227 pairs of autosomes and four sex…

In a new study, scientists analyzed ancient microbial DNA from 483 mammoth remains spanning over 1 million years, including 440 newly-sequenced and unpublished samples from a 1.1-million-year-old steppe mammoth. Using metagenomic screening,…

Thousands of years ago, ancient Homo sapiens undertook a treacherous journey, crossing hundreds of km of ice over the Bering Strait to the unknown world of the Americas. Now, a new study suggests that these people carried something surprising…

Vomiting up a droplet of sugar might not seem like the most romantic gesture from a potential suitor. But for one fly species, males that spill their guts are quite a catch.

Drosophila subobscura flies’ peculiar “romantic”…

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest threats facing humanity, making the need for new antibiotics more critical than ever. While most antibiotics originate from bacteria and fungi, Archaea offer a largely untapped reservoir for…

The Neanderthal variant in AMPD1 decreases its enzymatic activity by 25% in lab-produced proteins and by up to 80% in the muscles of genetically engineered mice; the variant is found in all sequenced Neanderthals, but is absent in all other…

Researchers have produced a chromosome-level genome assembly for a sweetpotato cultivar called ‘Tanzania.’

The…

A snail may hold the key to restoring vision for people with some eye diseases.

Golden apple snails (Pomacea canaliculata) are freshwater snails from South America. Alice Accorsi became familiar with the species as a graduate student…

The potato came from a surprising mashup.

Spuds are a basic, delicious food for millions worldwide, yet their origin and evolution have long been a scientific mystery. Not anymore, scientists say.

The starchy vegetable emerged 9…

A large-scale study of proteins in blood and cerebrospinal fluid could pave the way for improved blood tests to diagnose multiple brain diseases — and potential early warning signs of disease risk — researchers report July 15 in…