Discoveries, ideas and people to watch
Small stretches of seemingly useless DNA harbor a big secret. There’s
one problem: We don’t know what it is. Although individual laboratory
animals appear to live happily when these genetic ciphers are deleted,
these snippets have been highly conserved throughout evolution, suggesting
that they have some value.
Tagged: Bio-X, DNA, evolution, Health Research, Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowships
Scientists around the world may benefit from a powerful new database,
available for free online, that will help them to home in on the parts
of proteins most necessary for their function.Tagged: DNA, genetics, proteins, Human Health, Medicine
Pregnant women worried about their babies' genetic health face a
tough decision: get prenatal gene testing and risk miscarriage, or skip
the tests and miss the chance to learn of genetic defects before birth. But a new prenatal test could make this dilemma obsolete.
Tagged: DNA, genetics, Human Health, Medicine
Long-ago lager beer brewers were practicing genetics without even knowing it, according to new research by geneticists at the School of Medicine. The research offers a glimpse into the early history of beer brewing, as well as an unheralded sneak peek at the early days of the evolution of a new yeast species.
Tagged: DNA, genetics, Human Health, Medicine