Genetics

One question we could ask ourselves is whether aspects such as work or the tendency to play sports are fully acquired traits or do they really have an important genetic component . Theodore Garland, a physiologist at the University of California Riverside, with his team, did a series of experiments in which he was able … Read more

"Winter is Coming" has a real-world equivalent: Hongerwinter , that is, the Winter of Hunger, which took place between 1944 and 1945 in Holland. It was neither the first nor the most insidious famine in human history: heavy rains in the early 1300s reduced harvests to such an extent that a quarter of the entire … Read more

Although we are a mixture of genetic endowment and environment, of nature and nurture, we must not neglect the ability to influence certain genes in extraordinarily specific behaviors or attitudes . For example, a single nucleotide in a gene called FOXP2 causes an inherited speech and language disorder. And there are many more cases, such … Read more

A team of researchers from the University of Harvad has managed to conceive a bacterium with a reduced genome , from 64 to 57 the number of codons, which could have functionalities never seen in nature and save costs in the pharmaceutical industry. The results of the work , carried out with the bacterium Escherichia … Read more

Both dizygotic twins or twins (from two eggs) and monozygotic (developed from a single egg) have a longer life expectancy, according to a new study published in PlOS ONE . In the case of monozygotes, life expectancy is still older than twins. The study was carried out by researchers at the University of Washington, who … Read more

The PDSS2 gene could play an important role in how our body metabolizes caffeine, to the point that those in whom the expression of the gene is more active are those who tend to drink fewer cups of coffee; while those in whom this gene is weaker tend to consume more. This occurs because PDSS2 … Read more

According to a recent study carried out by researchers from the United States National Academy of Sciences, the molecules of our DNA, although they do not do it all the time, are capable of emitting a slight fluorescent glow . Thanks to this discovery, the study of cells could be prolonged without putting them at … Read more

Ford Fairlane said that "so much asshole, so few bullets", which is very true (even taking into account the Lake Wobegon bias). But how can we increase people’s intelligence? A drastic solution is eugenics, a Wagnerian madness that has excited characters like Hitler . However, perhaps things could be done in another, more acceptable way. … Read more

A man suffering from aggressive lung cancer has been the first to receive genes with CRISPR , that is, genes edited by scissors called CRISPR / Cas9 that allow it to be done so easily that they promise to revolutionize gene therapy and were developed by scientists Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier in 2012 The … Read more

It is a living fossil, it is the oldest tree species, it even survived the nuclear effects of Hiroshima, and now its genome has been sequenced. It is the ginkgo biloba, a tree native to China, with an exceptionally large genome , totaling more than 10 billion ‘letters’ of DNA. The Beijing Biosciences Institute (BGI), … Read more

We are at the forefront of the paradigm of our species, an evolutionary leap: to overcome Homo sapiens , for the first time in history, regardless of blind natural evolution . For 4 billion years, natural selection has been readjusting our bodies for the sake of survival, making it easier for us to go from … Read more

The popular imagination has crystallized the idea that "those who fight want each other" or that the differences with your partner complement you, so that you do not have to look for people like you, but those who pose a challenge to you. The empirical reality, however, is far from being this way. In reality, … Read more

The first stable semi-synthetic organism , which incorporates a synthetic base pair in its genetic code, was born for the first time thanks to the development of researchers at the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI). The genetic code of life contains only four bases in its genetic code (called A, T, C and G), which every … Read more

One of the most repeated arguments to discredit Darwinian evolution and, by contrast, defend intelligent design , is the analogy of the clock in the desert. It was first proposed in 1802 by William Paley in his book Natural Theology , arguing that a watch found in the desert could not be an accident or … Read more

Using a gene therapy vector (in which deficient genes are replaced by healthy genes) developed by Massachusetts Eye and Ear in an experiment with mice, a team of researchers at Children’s Hospital in Boston has succeeded in getting a group of deaf mice to restore their hearing to the point that they could hear whispers … Read more

Understanding the genetic complexity of height and the rare DNA changes that influence it can provide clues to studying multifactorial health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. This happens for two reasons: first, because height is determined by many different genes; and second, because height is easy to measure and provides a relatively simple … Read more

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, a bulging nose was believed to be a sign of sexual obsession and to betray the habit of masturbation. However, apart from unsubstantiated myths, in light of a new study, the size and shape of the nose (especially the nostrils) could be the product of the evolutionary pressure … Read more

Despite the fact that the next day you have to get up early, there are people who resist going to bed early. It’s not that they aren’t tired, it’s that they don’t even consider it natural. Who goes to bed before midnight? Some of these subjects could argue, from now on, that they may be … Read more

Thanks to CRISPR gene editing technology, researchers at UC Riverside’s Akbari Laboratory have brought a new breed of mutant red-eyed wasps into the world. Thanks to this, it will be possible to better understand the biology of the so-called jewel ant , which is capable of converting all its progeny into males using ‘selfish’ genetic … Read more

Beer does not stop reinventing itself , we even already have a beer specifically made to be consumed when we travel by plane (at such a height, our taste atrophies). Now, thanks to the fact that the barley genome has been sequenced , beer production could take on another dimension . Decoding the barley This … Read more