What was the wild ancestor of cattle?
Cattle were first domesticated around 10,500 years ago, but today there are no wild cattle. What was the wild ancestor of the cow?
Read MoreCategory: Genetics and Heredity
Nests, Neurons, and the Evolution of Behavior
Evolution is a beautiful process. We tend to appreciate its elegance most when looking backward into deep time, to our distant ancestors, or to dinosaurs.
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One Million Volunteers Could One Day Revolutionize Medicine
NIH program promises to revolutionize medicine and cure some of the nation’s deadliest diseases. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers are needed.
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Is Depression In Our Genes?
Scientists suspect there is a biological basis for depression–it may even be coded for in our DNA. is depression in our genes?
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Plant DNA shared through horizontal genome transfer
We now know more about plant DNA and how plants share genetic material with one another. Welcome to the horizontal genome transfer!
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Predictive Power of Biomarkers in Pediatric ICU
Biomarkers allow doctors to detect kidney malfunction earlier, and have the potential to change how we test and treat diseases in the future.
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Unravel DNA with Citizen Science
You can help collect data for studies of DNA by mailing researchers your dog’s saliva, samples of the forest floor, and even spiny anteater scat.
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Asthma, Genetics, and the Environment
By Emily Folk @EmilySFolk The relationship between asthma and genetics has evaded scientists for years. Researchers are still unraveling clues today, although they’ve made many advancements in making the connection. Environmental influences have become more significant in their impact, posing new challenges in treating the disease. As scientists explore ways to enhance asthma treatment, they also work to uncover its causes, hoping for more information on its relatively vague origin. How does asthma work? Asthma is an inflammatory lung disease characterized by shortness of breath, chest tightening, coughing, and wheezing.…
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Genome Revelations: How Green Plants Evolved
By Jacqueline Mattos (@mattosjacq) Plants are ancestral organisms that have evolved over millions of years, leading to the broad diversity we see today. Green plants evolved from a common ancestor into approximately 450,000–500,000 species today. There are many gaps in understanding of their diversification that scientists still struggle to fill. In a recent paper published in Nature, researchers from the One Thousand Plant Transcriptomes Initiative reviewed and analyzed genomic data from 1,124 plant species and provided the most complete evolutionary relationship tree for green plants to date. Genomes, transcriptomes, and…
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Proof of Evolution Is in Your DNA
Another great video from our friend Dr. Joe Hanson and the team behind the video series It’s Okay to Be Smart, brought to you by PBS Digital Studios. This time, we’re looking at the proof of evolution that’s embedded right there in our DNA. According to Dr. Hanson, “Humans are special, and we got that way thanks to evolution and natural selection. The proof is right there in our bodies! From anatomy to genes, here are some stories of how you got to be the way you are.” Evolution of…
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