All articles tagged with #genome
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Scientists have discovered Sukunaarchaeum mirabile, a tiny organism that challenges traditional definitions of life by possessing traits of both viruses and living cells, with a minimal genome and reliance on a host for many functions, potentially reshaping our understanding of cellular evolution.
Scientists have successfully mapped the three-dimensional genome of a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth using fossilized remains, marking the first full replication of an ancient animal's DNA from a fossil. This breakthrough, achieved through a six-year international study, opens new possibilities for exploring the biology of extinct species and could enhance modern conservation efforts by providing insights into genetic diversity and evolutionary adaptations.