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genome

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evolution

Should Evolution Treat Our Microbes as Part of Us?

By Jonathan Lambert
November 20, 2018
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How does evolution select the fittest “individuals” when they are ecosystems made up of hosts and their microbiomes? Biologist debate the need to revise theories.

Art for "In the Nucleus, Genes’ Activity Might Depend on Their Position"
cell biology

In the Nucleus, Genes’ Activity Might Depend on Their Location

By Jordana Cepelewicz
November 6, 2018
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Using a new CRISPR-based technique, researchers are examining how the position of DNA within the nucleus affects gene expression and cell function.

520px illustration of genome packaging
genomics

How Cells Pack Tangled DNA Into Neat Chromosomes

By Jordana Cepelewicz
February 22, 2018
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For the first time, researchers see how proteins grab loops of DNA and bundle them for cell division. The discovery also hints at how the genome folds to regulate gene expression.

Aribidopsis thaliana inflorescence
Abstractions blog

With ‘Downsized’ DNA, Flowering Plants Took Over the World

By Jordana Cepelewicz
January 11, 2018
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Compact genomes and tiny cells gave flowering plants an edge over competing flora. This discovery hints at a broader evolutionary principle.

Traveling person with a luggage filled with bacteria
Quantized Columns

What Bacteria Can Tell Us About Human Evolution

By Tara C. Smith
December 5, 2017
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To discover our species’ deep history and to shape its future health, we should learn from the microbes that accompanied us on our evolutionary journey.

Illustration of a doctor trying to get to a patient
molecular biology

Bacteria Sacrifice DNA Repair for Better RNA

By Jordana Cepelewicz
November 22, 2017
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Preserving its DNA ought to be a cell’s top priority. But bacteria slow their DNA repair to a crawl in favor of proofreading gene transcripts.

Tiny parasitoid wasps
evolution

Moonlighting Genes Evolve for a Venomous Job

By Christie Wilcox
June 22, 2017
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An unexpected mechanism allows wasps to rapidly co-opt genes for new toxic functions.

synthetic biology

In Newly Created Life-Form, a Major Mystery

By Emily Singer
March 24, 2016
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Scientists have created a synthetic organism that possesses only the genes it needs to survive. But they have no idea what roughly a third of those genes do.

genetics

Machine Intelligence Cracks Genetic Controls

By Emily Singer
December 18, 2014
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Scientists have begun to decipher the most difficult-to-read parts of the genome — the parts that don’t code for proteins. The new work reveals how errors in these genetic instructions can lead to disease.


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