Ancient DNA helps clarify the origins of two extinct New World horse species
The Patagonian Hippidion horse genus and North American stilt-legged horses have found a new place on the evolutionary tree, according to a new article in the open access journal PLoS Biology. In the paper, Jaco Weinstock, Alan Cooper, and colleagues use ancient DNA to argue that the Hippidion genus is younger than previously thought and that American stilt-legged horses were American endemics, n...The genetic origins of corn on the cob
In 1909, while harvesting a typical corn crop (Zea mays) in Illinois, a field worker noticed a plant so unusual that it was initially believed to be a new species. Its "peculiarly shaped ear" was "laid aside as a curiosity" and the specimen was designated Zea ramosa (from the Latin ramosus, "having many branches"). Due to the alteration of a single gene, later named ramosa1, both the ear and the...Researchers Discover Ancient Origins Of Tuberculosis-causing Bacteria
Tuberculosis remains a major global health threat. Although more than 3 billion doses of the BCG vaccine have been administered to fight tuberculosis, the ability of the BCG vaccine to protect adults is very limited, as is its efficacy against newly emerging isolates. In a study appearing online on August 18 in advance of print publication of the September 1 issue of the Journal of Clinica...Life's origins were easier than was thought
In the primordial soup that produced life on earth, there were organic molecules that combined to produce the first nucleic acid chains, which were the first elements able to self-replicate. According to one of the more accepted theories, these molecules were ribonucleic acid (RNA) chains, a molecule that is practically identical to DNA and that today has the secondary role in cells of copying in...Not all tooth pain may have dental origins!!
The 58th annual session of the American Association of Endodontists in New Orleans, Louisiana, began with a warning from the scientific community. In a terse message, the dentists said that all toothache need not have dental origins and that toothache should not be ignored because it may be the early warning for more important problems. Especially in the third world countries, dental care...Chronic kidney disease has genetical origins
Researchers have discovered two common genetical variants that increase the risk for developing// chronic kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease is a condition in which kidneys of the body are unable to function properly in maintaining the correct fluid and waste balance that is part of the metabolism practice. This leads to accumulation of wastes in the body that can lead to toxicity...Developmental Origins of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
A recent study has revealed that the way a baby girl develops in a womb may adversely affect// chances of developing polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCO) as adults. Dr Michael Davies, senior researcher at the Research Center of Reproductive Health at the University of Adelaide, Australia headed this study. Dr Davies and his team studied a group of young women bon between 1973 and 1975. They...Team Tracks Genetic Origins of Eye Cancer
A West Virginia University professor and two alumni have tracked the chromosomal abnormalities associated with a tumor that develops in the eye and often leads to blindness and death.// They're hopeful their findings could someday lead to improved treatment for those who suffer from it. Joginder Nath, professor of genetics and developmental biology, and former doctoral students Jason W...Genetic Fingerprints Identify Brain Tumors' Origins
Genetic fingerprints that reveal where a brain cell came from remain distinct even after the cell becomes a brain // tumor, an international coalition of scientists will report in the February 1 issue of Cancer Research. The finding adds a new layer of complexity to the quest to understand the causes of childhood brain cancers, according to senior author David H. Gutmann, M.D., Ph.D.,...