Scientists sequence genome of kind of organism central to biosphere's carbon cycle
... world's tropical rain forests combined. "These organisms are incredibly important in the global carbon cycl... issue of Science . Together, these single-celled organisms generate as much as 40 percent of the 50 billion to 55 billion tons of organic carbon produced each ...New research shows plants can shuffle and paste gene pieces to generate genetic diversity
...There is mounting evidence, however, that TEs help organisms evolve by making it easier to generate the sort of genetic novelty that is necessary for them to cope with a changing world. Thus, instead of being beasts of burden, Pack-MULEs may serve rice as a tool of evolutionary change. ...UCSF scientist Joe Derisi named MaCarthur Fellow
...rasite, and how it avoids the immune system of the organisms it invades, with an eye toward drug development." DeRisi, a faculty affiliate with the California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research (QB3), headquartered at UCSF's Mission Bay Campus, has already made significant strides again...Atacama rover helps NASA learn to search for life on Mars
...aracterize the geo- and biosignatures of microbial organisms and draft science protocols to support a discovery of life. Ames scientist Chris McKay is conducting a long-term ecological study of the Atacama as a Mars analog environment. Scientists using EventScope, a remote experience browser developed ...DNA barcode finds four new bird species
...ng will enable rapid screening of large numbers of organisms and highlight those with novel barcodes that are l... Taxonomists traditionally have classified organisms on the basis of their physical characteristics. They use DNA too, but current techniques are labor i...Punching the timeclock of life
...rogrammed and altruistic," Longo said. "The organisms we have studied die long before they have to in or...ted within their own population. Thus, billions of organisms die early so that a few better-adapted individuals can grow." What is even more striking, he s...Keep genome data freely accessible
...e those for more than 100 pathogens, including the organisms that cause anthrax, botulism, smallpox, Ebola haemorrhagic fever, and plague. It is possible that a government, a terrorist organisation, or even an individual could use data from these repositories to create novel pathogens that could be used as wea...Poplar DNA code cracked -- a step in combating global warming?
...omes. By comparing the genomes of these two model organisms - Populus and Arabidopsis - scientists such as Yves Van de Peer and Pierre Rouz hope to identify the genes specific to trees. With the aid of sophisticated computer programs, these VIB bio-informatics researchers will identify the genes in the poplar...Microbes eat their way to better concrete
...nes and Technology researchers are creating living organisms that may provide a better way to seal cracks in concrete. Dr. Sookie Bang, professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Dr. Venkataswamy Ramakrishnan, distinguished professor emeritus, Department of Civil and Environmental Enginee...UAF scientists discover new marine habitat in Alaska
... corals are animals that filter plankton and other organisms from the water for food, rhodoliths produce energy through photosynthesis. Globally, rhodoliths fill an important niche in the marine ecosystem, serving as a transition habitat between rocky areas and barren, sandy areas. Rhodoliths provide habit...Brown ecologist garners major National Science Foundation grant
... important light on a key question in biology how organisms integrate diverse environmental signals at the molecular level to respond to changes in their surroundings. Put another way, how does natural genetic variation allow one species to thrive in so many places? The five-year, $5-million grant is part of ...Genetic modification of linseed produces healthier omega 3 and 6 fatty acids
...ases and elongases were analyzed from a variety of organisms that produce very long-chain PUFA, including a fungus (Mortierella alpina), alga (Phaeodactylum tricornutum), moss (Physcomitrella patens), nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans), and another plant (Borago officinalis). DNA coding sequences for these gene...NSF announces six 'FIBR' awards to tackle some of biology's most challenging questions
...LINGTON, Va.-- How exactly do animals move? How do organisms adapt to newly acquired genes? What genetic forces...now know that up to a quarter of all genes in many organisms are acquired from completely unrelated species, and a fourth FIBR project will study the processes b...Washington University in St. Louis leads group studying aging process
...ies, these researchers want to determine how these organisms protect themselves from radicals, which are chemic...delineate the genes and proteins in photosynthetic organisms such as cyanobacteria and plants and model the system these organisms use to cope with radicals. Th...URI oceanographers to build laboratory to study subseafloor life
... in deep-sea sediments to show that these abundant organisms respire at far slower rates than organisms living at Earth's surface. ...Genetic analysis rewrites salamander's evolutionary history
...gly constructed since Linnaeus started classifying organisms 270 years ago - are basically correct. New genetic studies, the thinking goes, will only prune the twigs, perhaps shuffling around a few species here and there. Hence the surprise when a new University of California, Berkeley, study of the largest fa...Proteins show promise for mosquito control
...cides, although highly effective, can impair other organisms in the environment. Que Lan, insect physiologist... in a liquid medium, such as blood or cell fluids, organisms must have a way to shield it from the watery environment through which it moves. That shield is typi...Blue marlin in gulf have high mercury levels, A&M study shows
...problems. The harmful effects of mercury on living organisms range from kidney damage to reproductive failure and birth defects.The issue of elevated mercury content in seafood has received a great deal of public awareness in Gulf Coast states in recent years and several articles have focused on the possibilit...Endangered species list more bleak than originally thought
...verse selection of insects, mites, fungi and other organisms that are uniquely adapted to the threatened host. ...d in the past because some of the most susceptible organisms are uncharismatic parasites, but other more popular animals are also at stake. Proctor cites a host ...OutFoxed! New research may redefine late-stage cardiac development
...he gut tube have led to similar results in simpler organisms such as zebrafish. What is remarkable about Foxp4 mutant mice is that their hearts develop to such a late stage. We have never been able to determine in mammals whether fusion of the bilateral heart tubes was required for later stages of developmen...