Tag

Genome

All articles tagged with #genome

science1 month ago•6 min saved

Rethinking the human genome: aiming for a minimal, learnable blueprint

A Nature World View piece argues that advances in DNA synthesis, genome assembly, and AI now make a synthetic human genome more feasible, but a shift in goals is needed: instead of pursuing an ultrasafe, full-genome rewrite, scientists should aim to define a minimal human genome to identify essential elements and gain deeper biological understanding, with growing funding interest (including a UK effort to build a fully synthetic human chromosome) signaling a real rethinking of the project’s scope.

via Nature|

#dna-synthesis #ethics #genome

science2 months ago•64 min saved

Peanut genomes illuminate domestication, subgenome evolution, and oil traits

Six telomere-to-telomere peanut genomes (two diploids and four allotetraploids) reveal asymmetric transposable element activity and centromere evolution between subgenomes, catalog thousands of structural variants linked to domestication, and, from 521 resequenced accessions, illuminate population structure, introgression, and trait genes. GWAS and functional analyses pinpoint AhWRI1 and AhGSA1 as regulators of oil content and seed size, while transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling tie lipid and anthocyanin pathways to seed development—providing genomic levers for peanut improvement.

via Nature|

#domestication #genome #oil-content

science3 months ago•6 min saved

Genome in Parliament: how organisms curb selfish genes

Nature’s book review on The Paradox of the Organism argues that internal genetic conflict is a central feature of biology: a germline–somatic separation, meiotic reshuffling, and genome-wide ‘parliament’ mechanisms suppress selfish elements, allowing organisms to function while balancing disruptive elements, with implications for development, evolution, and disease.

via Nature|

#evolution #genetics #genome

science3 months ago•6 min saved

Serial mouse cloning hits a hard biological limit after 58 generations

A 20-year mouse cloning study from the University of Yamanashi shows that repeating cloning builds up genome-level damage, reduces fertility, and cannot sustain a mammal line beyond 58 generations—the last generation died soon after birth—despite producing over 1,200 clones from a single donor, indicating current nuclear-transfer cloning methods have a hard biological limit.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#cloning #genetics #genome

science5 months ago•7 min saved

Greenland sharks may live for centuries thanks to enhanced DNA repair

Scientists estimate Greenland sharks can live around 400–500 years and have found that eye tissue remains capable of vision in old age due to heightened DNA repair activity. Genome analysis reveals expanded DNA repair genes and a unique p53 insertion, and their hearts tolerate age-related damage. Researchers caution that this does not imply immediate human health applications or any antiaging use for shark products.

via Boing Boing|

#aging #dna-repair #genome

science7 months ago•3 min saved

Ancient Vampire Squid DNA Unveils Octopus Evolutionary Secrets

Scientists have extracted DNA from the vampire squid, revealing that its genome is the largest among cephalopods and providing new insights into the evolutionary history of squids and octopuses, indicating that their common ancestor was more squid-like than octopus-like 300 million years ago.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#ancient-dna #cephalopod-evolution #deep-sea-creatures

science10 months ago•3 min saved

Unexpected Genetic Secrets of the Sweetpotato

Scientists have decoded the complex genome of the sweetpotato, revealing its intricate hybrid origin and providing new tools for crop improvement, which is crucial for food security in the face of climate change and pests.

via ScienceDaily|

#crop-improvement #genome #hexaploidy

science10 months ago•6 min saved

Genome-Informed Mutations Shape Evolution, Study Finds

A study suggests that mutations driving evolution are influenced by the genome and occur more frequently where beneficial, challenging the traditional view that mutations are purely random, and proposing a new theory of evolution driven by internal genomic forces alongside natural selection.

via Phys.org|

#evolution #genome #mutations

science10 months ago•1 min saved

Pygmy Sea Horse's Snout Loss Explained

The pygmy sea horse, a tiny fish living among corals in the Pacific, has evolved a unique appearance that mimics its coral environment, including a coral-like face and knobs, which helps it hide from predators and gain immunity to coral venom, illustrating nature's creativity in adaptation.

via The New York Times|

#camouflage #coral #evolution

science10 months ago•11 min saved

AI Advances in Decoding Genome Grammar Beyond AlphaFold

AI tools like Evo, regLM, and AlphaGenome are advancing the decoding of the genome's regulatory regions, especially the non-coding 'dark matter' DNA, by predicting functions, interactions, and impacts of genetic variants, thus deepening our understanding of gene regulation and expression.

via Nature|

#ai #deep-learning #genome

science11 months ago•4 min saved

Scientists Find Organism That Challenges Life's Fundamentals

Scientists have discovered Sukunaarchaeum mirabile, a microbe with a minimal genome and characteristics that blur the line between cellular life and viruses, challenging traditional definitions of life and suggesting a new branch in the tree of life, with significant implications for understanding microbial evolution.

via Indian Defence Review|

#archaea #evolution #genome

science11 months ago•4 min saved

Scientists uncover organism challenging the definition of life

Scientists have discovered Sukunaarchaeum mirabile, a microbe that challenges traditional definitions of life by being cellular yet highly dependent on its host, blurring the line between viruses and living organisms, and prompting a reevaluation of what constitutes life.

via Earth.com|

#genome #life-definition #microbe

science11 months ago•5 min saved

AI Tool ShortStop Unveils Hidden Microproteins in Human Genome

Scientists at the Salk Institute have developed a new AI tool called ShortStop that identifies and predicts the biological relevance of microproteins hidden in the dark, noncoding regions of the human genome, leading to discoveries such as a microprotein associated with lung cancer, which could serve as a future therapeutic target.

via Phys.org|

#genome #lung-cancer #machine-learning

science11 months ago•3 min saved

Hidden Codes and Ancient Viruses: Unveiling the True Role of 'Junk' DNA in Humanity

A recent study reveals that ancient viral DNA embedded in our genome, particularly the MER11 family of transposable elements, plays a significant role in regulating gene expression during early human development. Researchers developed a new classification method to better understand these elements and found that the youngest subfamily, MER11_G4, has a strong ability to activate gene expression and has evolved distinct regulatory functions, contributing to primate evolution.

via ScienceDaily|

#dna #evolution #gene-regulation

science1 year ago•3 min saved

Scientists Discover Microbe Blurring the Line Between Life and Death

Scientists have discovered Sukunaarchaeum mirabile, a unique organism that blurs the line between viruses and cellular life, with a minimal genome and dependence on hosts, challenging traditional definitions of life and offering new insights into microbial evolution.

via Indian Defence Review|

#evolution #genome #life-and-death