Gene regulation, not just genes, is what sets humans apart
...traits that set humans apart from chimps and other primates those involving brains and diet gene regulation, the complex cross-talk that governs when genes are turned on and off, appears to be significantly different. Positive selection, the process by which genetic changes that aid survival and reprodu...Genomics study provides insight into the evolution of unique human traits
...ars ago, and today, about 300 different species of primates exist. One of the main genomic driving forces in primate evolution is gene duplication, explains Dr. James Sikela, Professor at the University of Colorado. To our knowledge, this study is the most comprehensive assessment of gene copy number variati...Back to the future: Mastodon extends the time limit on DNA sequencing
... in divergence times, the substitution rate within primates is more than twice as high as in proboscideans, showing that the molecular clock ticks differently for different taxa. ...Monkeys don't go for easy pickings
...ive an insight into their cognitive abilities, and primates do not automatically choose the easy option. Inst...intergroup dominance. The authors conclude that primates travel decisions to feed take into account more than distance. Elena Cunningham commented, "They ma...Neutral evolution has helped shape our genome
...on years ago right around the time when the first primates emerged. When new species emerge, their numbers and therefore their genetic differences are very small, Katsanis notes. This creates a genetic bottleneck during which any changes in the genome will either get eliminated quickly or spread to the whole...Scientists find endangered grey-shanked doucs in Vietnam
...anked douc is one of the worlds 25 most endangered primates and has only been recorded in the five central Vietnamese provinces of Quang Nam, Kon Tum, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, and Gia Lai. Fewer than 1,000 individuals are believed to still exist, and until now, only one other population with more than 100 anima...Stressed-out African naked mole-rats may provide clues about human infertility
...ssion among mammals, with other examples including primates such as marmosets and tamarins, mongooses and memb...milar to that in naked mole-rats, and as these are primates the applications to understanding human stress-related infertility aren't so far fetched. The neur...Which came first: Primates' ability to see colorful food or see colorful sex?
...daptive significance of the unique ability in many primates to distinguish red hues from green ones (i.e., tri...ionary biologists. The conventional theory is that primates evolved trichromatic color vision to assist them in foraging, specifically by allowing them to detec...Ancient retrovirus sheds light on modern pandemic
...virus that infected chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates 4 million years ago ironically may be at least partially responsible for the susceptibility of humans to HIV infection today. These findings, reported by a team of researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the June 22 issue of Science,...Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology
...ccessful topical respiratory tract immunization of primates against Ebola virus. Journal of Virology, 81. 12: 6379-6388). Bullfrogs May Serve as Hosts for E. coli O157:H7 For the first time researchers have identified American bullfrogs as potentially suitable hosts for E. coli O157:H7, a common sour...Reconstructing the biology of extinct species: A new approach
...s and locomotor pattern is evident both within the primates alone and within the entire mammalian sample. "How an animal moves is a basic adaptation," says Walker, an expert in primate locomotion. "Now we have a way to reconstruct how extinct species moved that is completely independent of analysis of the ...Neuronal activity gives clues to working memory
... to test the function of individual brain cells in primates and higher animals during behavior, but the goldfish's memory centers are much more accessible to research," Dr. Aksay explains. "We looked specifically at the fishes' oculomotor system -- the neural circuitry that directs the fish to shift its eyes ...Color vision drove primates to develop red skin and hair, study finds
...searchers at Ohio University have found that after primates evolved the ability to see red, they began to deve..., all have trichromatic vision, which allows these primates to distinguish between blue, green and red colors. Primatologists have disagreed about whether this ...Study focuses on only carnivore with 'fingerprints'
...wn to have fingerprints, which are also known from primates and koalas. Other species may also have unique patterns in their tracks that would help in counting their numbers in the wild. "The few porcupine and opossum tracks we got had incredible patterns and will probably turn out to be unique with more s...Brain, size and gender surprises in latest fossil tying humans, apes and monkeys
...are humans' second-closest relatives. Modern-day primates with significant gender size differences usually form multimale and multifemale troops, he said. "When you are in a large troop, that means maybe 15 or 20 individuals. So if we infer that an Aegyptopithecus had a large social group, that suggests it...Brains reflect sex differences
When male primates tussle and females develop their social skills it ...hat sexual selection had an important influence on primates brains. Greater male-on-male competition (sexual selection) correlated with several brain structures...Uganda's mountain gorillas increase in number
...his world where a small population of a endangered primates is actually increasing. According to the census, which also successfully used for the first time genetic samples from fecal specimens, Bwindis gorilla population now numbers 340 individual gorillas, up from 320 in 2002, and 300 in 1997. The cen...Rhesus macaque genome may hold clues for human health and evolution
...will also teach us more about how humans and other primates evolved into distinct species. The rhesus macaq...time, you'll be able to do everything in non-human primates that you can only do in humans and mice now." The genome sequence will also help scientists conduc...Macaque genome analysis will help find human disease genes
...ew insights into the evolution of humans and other primates and has important implications for medical research.(see two stories below). After the macaque genome was sequenced in 2005, additional scientists, including a Cornell team, were recruited to analyze the results. Richard Gibbs of Baylor College of Me...Analysis of rhesus monkey genome uncovers genetic differences with humans, chimps
...hat important features that have been conserved in primates over time can be more easily seen by comparing rhesus to human, than chimp to human. By adding the rhesus genome to the primate comparison, researchers identified nearly 200 genes likely to be key players in determining differences among primate sp...