Tag: "traits" at biology news

One species, many genomes

...from different geographical origins differ in many traits (the background shows schematically sequence variation in the DNA of these plants). To track down the variation in the genome of the different Arabidopsis strains, the researchers compared the genetic material of 19 wild strains with that of the ge...

Research identifies protein that signals flowering in squash plants

...use it can aid in optimizing crop yields and other traits for local environmental conditions. Experimental evidence indicates that a flowering-inducing substance, known as florigen, is produced in the leaves of a plant under inducing conditions, and then is transported through the phloem to the floral me...

Study shows lizard moms dress their children for success

...nsure a good match between back patterns and other traits that her offspring possess," said Lesley Lancaster...and the lizards need just the right combination of traits to avoid being eaten. "The females are dressing their progeny for success, because they need a di...

Exploring the dark matter of the genome

...kely because they have been duplicated or code for traits no longer needed by the organism. Drosophila has v...he new findings: epigenetics -- the inheritance of traits and genetic information as controlled by proteins associated with the chromosomes, rather than by DN...

New knowledge improves rice quality

... the world develop varieties with improved quality traits such as better taste, aroma, and cooking character...r quality and genetically mapping specific quality traits in rice such as taste and aroma. The cooking and eating qualities of rice and how to mea...

Gene mutation linked to cognition is found only in humans

...to understand the genetic basis that underlies the traits that set humans apart from nonhuman primates, recent studies have focused on identifying genes that have been positively selected during human evolution. They conclude, "The present results underscore the potential importance of the creation of novel...

Scientists seek useful traits in wild cottons

...s and Grandpa's laugh, you might wonder what other traits you picked up from the genealogic fabric of the ol...Facility is to investigate the potential of useful traits lying undiscovered in the gene pool or germplasm of obsolete and wild cottons contained in U.S., Rus...

Latent memory of cells comes to life

...pacity shuts down. Same inheritance ?different traits In the practical experiment molecular biologists used a mutant of a yeast cell which was bi-stable, in that it could become either of a single sex or hermaphrodite. The experiment showed that a spontaneous change occurred in the yeast cells about ...

UCI scientists reconstruct migration of avian flu virus

...el evolution ?the independent evolution of similar traits ?enables H5N1 to spread quickly, the scientists believe. "The ability to develop the right mutation allows the virus to hop from one host type to the next," said Robert Wallace, UCI postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the study. "By spreadi...

Despite their heft, many dinosaurs had surprisingly tiny genomes

...d flight, and can be added to the list of dinosaur traits previously thought to be found only in modern birds, including feathers, pulmonary innovations, and parental care and nesting." Other researchers had previously determined that the sizes of various cell types, across species, tend to reflect the s...

Researchers identify gene involved in dog size

...e readily analyze the genetic causes of particular traits than is possible in humans,?said the study’s senior author Elaine A. Ostrander, Ph.D., chief of NHGRI’s Cancer Genetics Branch. “Nearly all of what we learn from studying body structure, behavior and disease susceptibility in dogs helps us understand...

Female Antarctic seals give cold shoulder to local males

...emale fur seals may be able to assess male genetic traits visually by examining body size and condition, dominant behaviours, or territory quality. Another possibility is that females can use smell to determine whether they are related to the male. Commenting on the practical implications for fur seal po...

Analysis of rhesus monkey genome uncovers genetic differences with humans, chimps

... analysis of inheritance of biomedically important traits in rhesus. The rhesus genomic DNA samples used for these studies were contributed by the California NPRC, Oregon NPRC, Southwest NPRC and Yerkes NPRC. This advance in macaque genetics will enhance the use of macaques for the study of genetic diseas...

Scientists find method to pick noncompetitive animals, improve production

A new statistical method of determining genetic traits that influence social interactions among animals m...d England designed mathematical equations based on traits to choose animals that are more congenial in groups, said William Muir, a Purdue Department of Anima...

The price of vanity: Mating with showy males may reduce offspring's ability to fight off pathogens

...en) finds that mating with males who possess showy traits ?such as bright colors or long tails and fins ?results in higher testosterone levels in males over many generations. Because male and female testosterone levels are correlated, female choice also results in an increase in female testosterone levels....

World's largest flower evolved from family of much tinier blooms

...it heat, much like a recently killed animal. These traits help the flower attract the carrion flies that pollinate it. "While it's surprising to find this giant plant evolved from a family typified by much smaller blossoms, rafflesia is unusual enough that it's frankly been difficult to imagine it fitting...

Twin studies reveal genetic components leading to cardiac and kidney disease

...to some surprising discoveries. "By studying many traits and genes, we have started to put together unexpec...riations in twins provides scientists with data on traits that are heritable, or passed down through human DNA, versus those determined by the environment, ag...

40,000-year-old skull shows both modern human and Neandertal traits

...han 35,000 years), but similarity in morphological traits with the Oase 1 human mandible ?found in 2002 on t... This mixture would have resulted in both archaic traits retained from the Neandertals and unique combinations of traits resulting from the blending of previ...

Birth rate, competition are major players in hominid extinctions

...d extinction. "The lineages of primates have some traits that make it hard for them to respond to rapid perturbations in the environment," says Dr. Nina G. Jablonski, professor of anthropology and department head at Penn State. "Through time we see a lot of lineages become extinct when environments where ...

Fish growth changes enhanced by climate change

...has been correlated with a variety of life history traits ?from higher mortality to reduced food availability and increased age or smaller size at sexual maturity. He said comparisons of historical and modern oceanographic data indicate temperature trends very similar to the apparent changes in growth ra...

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