Genetics News
August 25, 2025
Top Headlines
Aug. 17, 2025 — Roughly two-thirds of all atmospheric methane, a potent greenhouse gas, comes from methanogens. Tracking down which methanogens in which environment produce methane with a specific isotope signature is difficult, however. UC Berkeley researchers ...
Aug. 17, 2025 — Scientists have engineered a groundbreaking cancer treatment that uses bacteria to smuggle viruses directly into tumors, bypassing the immune system and delivering a powerful one-two punch against cancer cells. The bacteria act like Trojan horses, ...
Aug. 8, 2025 — Researchers at Scripps have created T7-ORACLE, a powerful new tool that speeds up evolution, allowing scientists to design and improve proteins thousands of times faster than nature. Using engineered bacteria and a modified viral replication system, ...
Aug. 4, 2025 — Glasswing butterflies may all look alike, but behind their transparent wings hides an evolutionary story full of intrigue. Researchers discovered that while these butterflies appear nearly identical to avoid predators, they produce unique pheromones ...
July 21, 2025 — What scientists once dismissed as junk DNA may actually be some of the most powerful code in our genome. A new international study reveals that ancient viral DNA buried in our genes plays an active role in controlling how other genes are turned on ...
July 21, 2025 — Gene editing may hold the key to rescuing endangered species—not just by preserving them, but by restoring their lost genetic diversity using DNA from museum specimens and related species. Scientists propose a visionary framework that merges ...
July 16, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that a protein once thought to be just a cellular "courier" actually helps plants survive drought. This motor protein, myosin XI, plays a critical role in helping leaves close their pores to conserve water. When it's ...
July 8, 2025 — High heat and heavy metals dampen a bumblebee’s trademark buzz, threatening pollen release and colony chatter. Tiny sensors captured up-to-400-hertz tremors that falter under environmental stress, raising alarms for ecosystems and sparking ideas ...
July 4, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that starving and then refeeding worms can reveal surprising secrets about aging. When a specific gene (called TFEB) is missing, these worms don’t bounce back from fasting—they instead enter a state that looks a lot ...
July 2, 2025 — Scientists at UC Davis discovered a small genetic difference that could explain why humans are more prone to certain cancers than our primate cousins. The change affects a protein used by immune cells to kill tumors—except in humans, it’s ...
June 24, 2025 — Two Ice Age wolf pups once thought to be early dogs have been identified as wild wolves, thanks to detailed DNA and chemical analysis. Surprisingly, their last meals included woolly rhinoceros ...
June 23, 2025 — In a remarkable twist of science, researchers have transformed a fungus long associated with death into a potential weapon against cancer. Found in tombs like that of King Tut, Aspergillus flavus was ...
Latest Headlines
updated 1:05pm EDT
Aug. 24, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that a gene called MUC19, inherited from Denisovans through ancient interbreeding, may have played a vital role in helping ...
Aug. 23, 2025 — Scientists have developed a breakthrough food supplement that could help save honeybees from devastating declines. By engineering yeast to produce six essential sterols found in pollen, researchers ...
Aug. 20, 2025 — Two independent research teams have unveiled near-complete reference genomes of the central bearded dragon, a reptile with the rare ability to change sex depending on both chromosomes and nest ...
Aug. 16, 2025 — Once on the brink during the last ice age, great white sharks made a remarkable recovery globally, but their DNA reveals a baffling story. Classic migration explanations fail, leaving scientists with ...
Aug. 7, 2025 — Scientists discovered that jewel wasp larvae that undergo a developmental "pause" live longer and age more slowly at the molecular level by nearly 30%. This slowdown is tied to conserved biological ...
Aug. 6, 2025 — Australian skinks have developed a remarkable genetic defense against venomous snake bites by mutating a key muscle receptor, making them resistant ...
Aug. 6, 2025 — Apple snails can fully regrow their eyes, and their genes and eye structures are strikingly similar to humans. Scientists mapped the regeneration process and used CRISPR to identify genes, including ...
Aug. 5, 2025 — A group of Chinese scientists has created powerful new tools that allow them to edit large chunks of DNA with incredible accuracy—and without leaving any trace. Using a mix of advanced protein ...
Aug. 4, 2025 — In a surprising twist of conservation success, a U.S. Air Force bombing range in Florida has become a sanctuary for endangered species like the ...
July 30, 2025 — Scientists have used artificial intelligence to upgrade plant immune systems, potentially revolutionizing how crops like tomatoes and potatoes can defend against harmful bacteria. By reengineering ...
Earlier Headlines
July 23, 2025 — What made ribose the sugar of choice for life's code? Scientists at Scripps Research may have cracked a major part of this mystery. Their experiments show that ribose binds more readily and ...
July 11, 2025 — In a bold step toward sustainable space travel, scientists are engineering a radically small, protein-rich rice that can grow in space. The Moon-Rice project, led by the Italian Space Agency in ...
July 8, 2025 — Scientists at MIT have turbocharged one of nature’s most sluggish but essential enzymes—rubisco—by applying a cutting-edge evolution technique in living cells. Normally prone to wasteful ...
July 7, 2025 — Scientists have decoded the sea spider’s genome for the first time, revealing how its strangely shaped body—with organs in its legs and barely any abdomen—may be tied to a missing gene. The ...
June 25, 2025 — Leafcutter ants live in highly organized colonies where every ant has a job, and now researchers can flip those jobs like a switch. By manipulating just two neuropeptides, scientists can turn ...
June 20, 2025 — Even after 20 million years of evolutionary separation, two tiny worm species show astonishingly similar patterns in how they turn genes on and off. Scientists mapped every cell s activity during ...
June 19, 2025 — During Earth's ancient Snowball periods, when the entire planet was wrapped in ice, life may have endured in tiny meltwater ponds on the surface of equatorial glaciers. MIT researchers ...
June 18, 2025 — New research is shaking up our understanding of evolution by revealing that some species may not evolve gradually at all. Instead, scientists discovered that certain marine worms experienced an ...
June 16, 2025 — Sea anemones may hold the key to the ancient origins of body symmetry. A study from the University of Vienna shows they use a molecular mechanism known as BMP shuttling, once thought unique to ...
June 14, 2025 — A University of Queensland-led project has developed a tool to standardise genetic testing of koala populations, providing a significant boost to conservation and recovery ...
June 12, 2025 — Female earwigs may be evolving exaggerated weaponry just like males. A study from Toho University found that female forceps, once assumed to be passive tools, show the same kind of outsized growth ...
June 11, 2025 — Sea cucumbers, long known for cleaning the ocean floor, may also harbor a powerful cancer-fighting secret. Scientists discovered a unique sugar in these marine creatures that can block Sulf-2, an ...
June 15, 2025 — Aphid-hunting wasps can reproduce with or without sex, challenging previous assumptions. This unique flexibility could boost sustainable pest control if its hidden drawbacks can be ...
June 6, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that a molecule known for defending animal immune systems called itaconate also plays a powerful role in plants. Researchers showed that itaconate not only exists in plant ...
June 6, 2025 — Scientists have uncovered over 200 new giant viruses lurking in ocean waters that not only help shape marine ecosystems but also manipulate photosynthesis in algae. These massive viruses once nearly ...
June 3, 2025 — In the heart of Dublin, scientists have discovered that the air holds more than melodies and Guinness-infused cheer it carries invisible traces of life, from wildlife to drugs and even human ...
June 3, 2025 — The biosynthesis of the great variety of natural plant products has not yet been elucidated for many medically interesting substances. In a new study, an international team of researchers was able to ...
June 3, 2025 — A new study shows how person-to-person variation in antibody immunity plays a key role in shaping which influenza (flu) strains dominate in a ...
June 2, 2025 — New research shows that the presence of solar panels in Colorado's grasslands may reduce water stress, improve soil moisture levels and -- particularly during dry years -- increase plant growth ...
May 30, 2025 — Laboratory could improve crop resilience In a discovery three decades in the making, scientists have acquired detailed knowledge about the internal structures and mode of regulation for a specialized ...
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
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Sunday, June 15, 2025
Friday, June 6, 2025
- Scientists Find Immune Molecule That Supercharges Plant Growth
- Scientists Uncover 230 Giant Ocean Viruses That Hijack Photosynthesis
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
- DNA Floating in the Air Tracks Wildlife, Viruses -- Even Drugs
- Two Plant Species Invent the Same Chemically Complex and Medically Interesting Substance
- Large-Scale Immunity Profiling Grants Insights Into Flu Virus Evolution
Monday, June 2, 2025
Friday, May 30, 2025
- Scientists Find a New Way to Help Plants Fight Diseases
- The EU Should Allow Gene Editing to Make Organic Farming More Sustainable, Researchers Say
Thursday, May 29, 2025
- 'Future-Proofing' Crops Will Require Urgent, Consistent Effort
- Keep the Cool Feeling: A Lipid Enzyme for Maintaining Cool Temperature Sensation and Avoidance
- Genetic Basis of Purring in Cats
- Cannabis Pangenome Reveals Potential for Medicinal and Industrial Use
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
- Bed Bugs Are Most Likely the First Human Pest, New Research Shows
- Yeast Can Now Produce Human DNase1
- In Nature's Math, Freedoms Are Fundamental
- Chemists Recreate How RNA Might Have Reproduced for First Time
- A High-Fat Diet Sets Off Metabolic Dysfunction in Cells, Leading to Weight Gain
- Researchers Engineer a Herpes Virus to Turn on T Cells for Immunotherapy
- New AI Tool Reveals Single-Cell Structure of Chromosomes -- In 3D
- Intestinal Bacteria Influence Aging of Blood Vessels
Monday, May 26, 2025
- A Root Development Gene That's Older Than Root Development
- Flowers Unfold With Surprising Precision, Despite Unruly Genes
Friday, May 23, 2025
Thursday, May 22, 2025
- Ancient DNA Used to Map Evolution of Fever-Causing Bacteria
- 'Selfish' Genes Called Introners Proven to Be a Major Source of Genetic Complexity
- Study Discovers DNA Switch That Controls TB Growth, and Could Help Unlock Its Antibiotic Resistance Secrets
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
- Plant Cell Sculptors
- The Dietary Bug in a Cancer Therapy
- Researchers Identify a Dual Origin of Cells Controlling Puberty and Reproduction
- Unlocking the Secrets of Bat Immunity
- Songbirds' Great Risk Results in Great Genetic Reward
- How Hibiscus Flowers Lost Their Bullseyes
- This Gene Variant Contributed to the Dietary and Physiological Evolution of Modern Humans
- A New Technology for Extending the Shelf Life of Produce
- Hand2: Positional Code That Allows Axolotls to Regrow Limbs Found
- Live View: Stress-Induced Changes in Generations of Cancer Cells
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
- A New Complexity in Protein Chemistry
- Common Diabetes Drug Helps Chickens Lay More Eggs
- How Membranes May Have Brought About the Chemistry of Life on Earth
- Advanced Genomics Study Improves Detection of Hard-to-Find Diarrheal Infections
- Wild Spinach Offers Path to Breed Disease Resistance Into Cultivated Varieties
Monday, May 19, 2025
- Bees Facing New Threats, Putting Our Survival and Theirs at Risk
- A Head and a Hundred Tails: How a Branching Worm Manages Reproductive Complexity
- 'Cutting to Survive': How Cells Remove DNA Bridges at the Last Moment
- Survival Trick: Pathogen Taps Iron Source in Immune Cells
- Family of Parasite Proteins Presents New Potential Malaria Treatment Target
- How Did Plants Evolve the Ability to Transport Massive Amounts of Protein Into Seed Vacuoles?
Friday, May 16, 2025
- Researchers Find CRISPR Is Capable of Even More Than We Thought
- Novel Molecular Maneuver Helps Malaria Parasite Dodge the Immune System
- GPS for Proteins: Tracking the Motions of Cell Receptors
Thursday, May 15, 2025
- Protein Switch Turns Anti-Viral Immune Response on and Off
- Improved Model System Allows Researchers to Study Embryo Development
- Scientists Track Down Mutation That Makes Orange Cats Orange
- 'Rogue' Immune Cells Explain Why a Gluten-Free Diet Fails in Some Celiac Patients
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
- Rediscovering the First Known Cellular Receptor
- Marsupial Research Reveals How Mammalian Embryos Form
- Artificial Intelligence and Genetics Can Help Farmers Grow Corn With Less Fertilizer
- Making Connections: A Three-Dimensional Visualization of Musculoskeletal Development
- Genome of Near-Extinct Northern White Rhino Offers Hope for Reviving the Species
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
- A Plant You've Never Heard of Can Do What Scientists Once Thought Impossible
- With AI, Researchers Predict the Location of Virtually Any Protein Within a Human Cell
- 'Loop'hole: HIV-1 Hijacks Human Immune Cells Using Circular RNAs
Friday, May 9, 2025
- A More Realistic Look at DNA in Action
- Researchers Map 7,000-Year-Old Genetic Mutation That Protects Against HIV
- Bacterium Produces 'organic Dishwashing Liquid' To Degrade Oil
- Improving Newborn Genetic Screening
- Can Frisky Flies Save Human Lives?
Thursday, May 8, 2025
- Researchers Find New Defense Against Hard-to-Treat Plant Diseases
- Bacteria: Recording Gene Activity More Efficiently
- Novel Point of Attack to Combat Dangerous Tropical Diseases
- Discovery Opens Up for New Ways to Treat Chlamydia
- Engineering an Antibody Against Flu With Sticky Staying Power
- AI-Designed DNA Controls Genes in Healthy Mammalian Cells for First Time
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Monday, May 5, 2025
- New Molecular Label Could Lead to Simpler, Faster Tuberculosis Tests
- A Fully Automated Tool for Species Tree Inference
- Genomic Survey Uncovers Evolutionary Origins of Secretoglobins
- Saving the Asian 'unicorn' -- If It Still Exists
Thursday, May 1, 2025
- Electricity-Generating Bacteria May Power Future Innovations
- Designer Microbe Shows Promise for Reducing Mercury Absorption from Seafood
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
- Deciphering the Migratory Behavior and Connectivity of Mediterranean and Atlantic Cory's Shearwaters
- Protein Sources Change the Gut Microbiome -- Some Drastically
- New Study Unlocks How Root Cells Sense and Adapt to Soil
- Bacterial Villain Behind Lake Erie's 'potent Toxin' Unveiled