Plants have clever ways of dealing with cold. One such method involves a group of genes called Calmodulin-like (CML) genes. These genes act like tiny sensors, picking up signals from calcium and helping plants survive chilly temperatures. Scientists have been studying these genes in various plants, but until now, they haven't paid much attention to Curcuma alismatifo...
Type 2 diabetes is a tricky condition. It's not just about what you eat or how much you exercise. Your genes play a role too. One gene, called MTHFR, helps your body process folate, a vital nutrient. Scientists have found that changes in this gene might be connected to diabetes. In a recent study, researchers looked at 107 people with type 2 diabetes and 100 healthy...
In Taiwan, a group of researchers decided to look into why some people are more active in their free time than others. They wanted to see if genes play a role in how much someone enjoys or does physical activities during leisure time. The team focused on Taiwanese people because not much research has been done on this topic in Asian populations. They knew that not m...
Vimentin, a crucial part of the cell's skeleton, is getting a fast-track makeover. Scientists have developed new tools to swiftly alter vimentin's position within cells, either throughout the entire cytoplasm or in specific areas. These tools use light or drugs to attach vimentin to tiny cellular movers, called microtubule motors, allowing researchers to study the im...
Scientists have found new ways to help barley plants fight off a nasty disease called stripe rust. This disease is a big problem for barley crops in many parts of the world. To tackle this issue, researchers looked at 318 different types of barley from all over the globe. They tested these plants against stripe rust at different stages of growth and under various tem...
Violence is a serious issue globally, claiming over 475, 000 lives annually, with women and children often bearing the brunt. While factors like upbringing and environment significantly influence aggressive behavior, genetic components also play a role. Specifically, the X and Y chromosomes may provide some insights. The X chromosome contains a gene known as MAOA, w...
Enkephalins are like the brain's own painkillers. They help with pain relief, reward, and dealing with stress. But tracking them in real-time has been tough because they appear and disappear quickly and are present in tiny amounts. Scientists have come up with a clever way to study these enkephalins. They combined a few techniques: optogenetics, which uses light to ...
Premature babies often face serious lung problems. One big issue is bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), which happens when there's too much oxygen. Scientists are trying to understand how this happens at a tiny level, focusing on something called epigenetics. Epigenetics is like a switch that turns genes on or off. It doesn't change the DNA itself, but it can change h...
People often think of genetics as just about DNA, but math plays a huge role too. Over the last few decades, new math ideas have helped scientists understand our genes better. These advances are not just cool; they are changing how we study genes, evolution, and even crime scenes. One big area is figuring out family trees using DNA. In the 1980s, scientists started ...
Plants are tougher than they look. They have special tools to fight off problems like dry weather. One such tool is the HcCNGC27 gene in kenaf, a hardy plant used for fiber. This gene is part of a big team that helps plants grow and stay strong. This gene is everywhere in the plant. It's in the outer layer, the plasma membrane. It's also in roots, stems, leaves, flo...