Papayas are not just tasty fruits; they are a goldmine for scientists studying genetics and evolution. Researchers have recently cracked open the genetic code of two different types of papayas. One is used for cooking, and the other is the sweet, juicy kind you might eat fresh. By comparing these wi
In the world of turtles, the sex of a baby turtle isn't just about chromosomes. It's also about temperature. This is called temperature-dependent sex determination. Scientists have been curious about how this works for a long time. They knew that something called alternative splicing might play a ro
Ever wondered how mice know if they are going to be boys or girls? It all starts with something called primordial germ cells (PGCs). These are like the building blocks for eggs and sperm. They hang out in the embryo and eventually become either an egg or a sperm cell. But how do they decide? It'
Imagine you're a detective trying to solve a crime. Figuring out when and who left behind a saliva stain can be a big clue. Right now, scientists are looking into how the bacteria in old saliva stains change over time. They want to find out if these changes can tell us how long ago the stain was lef
