An analysis of DNA from wild populations of the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) has found that there is not just one species but enough genetic differences to recognize two distinct species. The Chinese red panda (Ailurus styani). Image credit: Yunfang Xiu, Straits (Fuzhou) Giant Panda Research and Exchange Center, China. …
Read More »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 …
Read More »Scientists Identify Genes from ‘Ghost Population’ of Ancient Humans
The history of the human family is not as straightforward as you might think. While there’s just one species of human alive today, that was not the case at various points in the past. Studying the genetic markers floating around the Homo sapiens DNA pool can shed light on …
Read More »Researchers Sequence Genomes of Two Basmati Rice Varieties
A research team led by New York University scientists has sequenced and analyzed the genomes of two members of the basmati rice group: a variety of basmati rice called Basmati 334 and the sadri rice variety Dom Sufid. Basmati rice. Image credit: Republica. The Asian rice (Oryza sativa) is an …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »Researchers Extract and Sequence Human DNA from 5,700-Year-Old ‘Chewing Gum’
An international team of scientists has successfully sequenced ancient DNA extracted from a 5,700-year-old piece of chewed birch pitch from southern Denmark. In addition to an ancient human genome and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), the researchers recovered plant and animal DNA, as well as microbial DNA from several oral species. Further …
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