Genetics

46,000-Year-Old Horned Lark Found in Siberian Permafrost

In a new study published today in the journal Communications Biology, an international team of researchers radiocarbon-dated an exceptionally well-preserved carcass of an ancient bird found in the Siberian permafrost and identified the species through reconstruction of its mitogenome. Horned larks (Eremophila alpestris). Permafrost deposits containing both animal and plant …

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Scientists ‘Resurrect’ Mutated Genes of Wrangel Island Mammoths

Woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) were among the most abundant cold adapted species during the Pleistocene. Their once large populations went extinct in two waves, an end-Pleistocene extinction of continental populations followed by the mid-Holocene extinction of relict populations on St. Paul Island, a small island in the middle of the …

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Researchers Sequence Genome of Elusive Giant Squid

An international team of scientists has sequenced the genome of the giant squid (Architeuthis dux), the species which has inspired generations to tell tales of the fabled Kraken. The Architeuthis dux genome allowed the team to investigate the unique traits of this species, including its gigantism and key adaptations to deep-sea …

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Scientists Sequence Genome of Indian Cobra

An international team of researchers has sequenced the genome of the Indian cobra (Naja naja), a highly venomous, medically important snake. The Indian cobra (Naja naja). Image credit: Kamal N.V. / CC BY 3.0. Accidental contact with venomous snakes can be deadly. Snakebite envenoming is a serious neglected tropical disease …

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Researchers Use CRISPR to Create Compact Tomato Plants

An international team of scientists has used the CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing technology to restructure vine-like tomato plants into extremely compact, early yielding plants suitable for urban agriculture and even space missions. A gene-edited tomato plant. Image credit: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The new gene-edited tomato plants look nothing like the long …

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Water Lily Genome Sheds Light on Early Evolution of Flowering Plants

An international team of researchers has successfully sequenced and analyzed the genome of the blue-petal water lily (Nymphaea colorata), a plant species that is valued for the aesthetically attractive blue color of petals. The findings, published in the journal Nature, provide insights into the early evolution of the flowering plants …

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