Elizabeth Pennisi
‘Psychobiotics’: Can we control the way we think by altering gut bacteria?
The allure is simple: Drug development for neuropsychiatric disorders has lagged for decades, and many existing drugs don’t work for ...
Gene-drive technology may combat notorious Fusarium fungus that decimates global wheat yields
The Fusarium fungus is the bane of every wheat farmer’s existence. Causing wheat scab—also known as head blight—it decimates harvests ...
Fungus-treated tomatoes see 65% higher yields in salty soil, greenhouse study shows
Plant scientists in the Middle East have discovered that adding a desert root fungus, Piriformospora indica—first isolated in India—to the ...
North American bird populations dropped 30% over 50 years, but causes hard to ‘pin down’
North America’s birds are disappearing from the skies at a rate that’s shocking even to ornithologists. Since the 1970s, the ...
Born that way? Dog breed traits are rooted in their genetics, study shows
American Kennel Club descriptions of dog breeds can read like online dating profiles: The border collie is a workaholic; the ...
How a broken gene may have given us the ability to become ‘marathoners’
A new study in mice pinpoints how a stretch of DNA likely turned our ancestors into marathoners, giving us the ...
Three genes that changed the course of human brain evolution
Three nearly identical genes could help explain how 0.5 liters of gray matter in early human ancestors became the 1.4-liter ...
How genes affect your dog’s athleticism—and what we might learn about ourselves
Compare the sprinting Shetland sheepdog with the sluggish St. Bernard, and it’s clear a dog’s genes play a large role ...
Single gene variant could explain why Peruvians among world’s shortest people
Hundreds of genes influence how tall a person is, but most make an imperceptible difference—perhaps a millimeter, for example. Now, ...
Evolution’s way: Odd survival strategies in the face of scarce resources and predators
Nature has a lot to teach us. As part of our special package, we explored how animals, plants, and bacteria use ...
Pinpointing time of death for crime victims may be possible through our genes
Thanks to an extensive new survey of gene activity in human tissue after death, computational biologists have taken the first ...
Dog genome project: How your breed originated
From the 80-kilogram Great Dane to the 1-kilogram tiny teacup poodle, there seems to be a dog for everyone. Now, ...
Antisocial bees could aid the study of autism in humans
A new study reveals that [antisocial bees] share a genetic profile with people who have autism spectrum disorders, which can ...
Dog-human bonding: Genetic mutations for Williams syndrome may explain canine friendliness
Using clues from humans with a genetic disorder that makes them unusually friendly, [researchers Monique Udell and Bridgett vonHoldt] found ...
Mimicking gene changes in mutant cherry tomatoes can nearly double production
Plant geneticists have figured out how to almost double the production of garden tomatoes. Though most of us care mainly ...
Regulatory mechanisms driving limb formation identified for first time
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Molecular biologists have described for ...
Gut microbiome treatment may help fight starvation
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Almost 180 million children ...
3200 genes essential to all humans
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Fiddle just a little ...
Genetic variants altering key brain structures identified
In the animal kingdom, humans are known for our big brains. But not all brains are created equal, and now ...
Financial pressure may force Galápagos conservation organization to close
A 50-year-old conservation organization dedicated to preserving the biodiversity hotspot that inspired Charles Darwin is about to fall off a ...
X chromosome may control male fertility
Researchers have found that the X (i.e."female") chromosome contains scores of genes that define male-only traits ...
Genomics impact on U.S. economy approaches $1 trillion
The following is an excerpt. Despite a slow economy, business in genomics has boomed and has directly and indirectly boosted ...
