Category: Genetics in a nutshell
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When and why might the genetic code change? Groundbreaking research addresses these questions.
Photo: Evolved macroscopic “snowflake” yeast from the MuLTEE experiment. The large size of the nuclei (yellow) and cells (cyan) are results of whole-genome duplication and aneuploidy. Credit: Georgia Institute of Technology The specific chromosomal configurations and changes in their numbers may persist or disappear depending on population size and environmental conditions. Can we live outside…
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Why does mitochondrial disruption cost so much?
Photo: Mitochondrium, SkieTheAce, Pixabay Does evolution know the paths of the past and future? That’s possible according to new research published in ,,Cell”. How? By tracking the transport of signals and nutrients inside a cell. The mitochondrion is a cell organelle with a separate from the cell nucleus genetic material inherited only from a female…
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What makes aging more friendly? X chromosome
Photo: Blueberries, congerdesign, Pixabay The later activation of the X chromosome may enhance cognitive function, which could partly explain why women tend to have longer lifespans. Each of us inherits our genetic background from our parents, grandparents, and even distant ancestors that we may have forgotten. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, with one set…
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Paradox of evolution. What can capture and unleash us from Earth?
Photo: Molecules, wastedgeneration, Pixabay A tiny insertion of a highly charged, binding potential helix into the space of RNA after the prokaryote code was lost or removed could change the direction of life’s evolution. RNA is a single-strand of ribonucleic acid, which is more primordial to DNA built with two strands and slightly different bases.…
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Does lack of oxygen in body cells trigger cancer?
Photo: Comparison of the performance of the 70 published hypoxia signatures using the IQM in 104 cancer cell lines, University of Oxford, Matteo Di Giovannantonio, Fiona Hartley Too high demand for oxygen in the body may signal cancer. A decrease of oxygen in tissues’ micro-environment shifts metabolic pathways. Oxygen is a substance without which there would have…