Genetics

Alzheimer’s Linked To Gut Health

(Photo: Buddha Kumar Shrestha/Unsplash)Data from several Alzheimer’s disease and gastrointestinal disorder studies appear to suggest the conditions are genetically linked. Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) conducted a meta-analysis of several Alzheimer’s and gut health studies in an attempt to determine whether the two are associated. Each study involved the …

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The Atlantic Puffin

Researchers have sequenced analyzed the genome of the Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica), a small auk with a large head and a colorful bill. Using the genome-wide resequencing data, they’ve also identified four main puffin population clusters consisting of (i) Spitsbergen (High Arctic), (ii) Canada, (iii) Isle of May, and (iv) …

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Spotted Skunk Species

A team of U.S. scientists led by Chicago State University has analyzed species limits and diversification patterns in spotted skunks using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA datasets from broad geographic sampling representing all currently recognized species — Spilogale angustifrons, Spilogale gracilis, Spilogale putorius, and Spilogale pygmaea — and subspecies. A spotted …

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The Kakapo Parrot

An international team of researchers has successfully sequenced and analyzed the genome of the kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus), a flightless parrot endemic to New Zealand. Published in the journal Cell Genomics, their results shows that even after 10,000 years of inbreeding, the species is in surprisingly good genetic health. The kākāpō …

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Rhinoceros Family

  Researhers have sequenced the genomes of two living and three extinct rhinoceros species and compared them to existing data from the remaining three living species and a range of outgroups. A paleoartist’s reconstruction of the three extinct species whose genomes were sequenced by Liu et al.: in the foreground …

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Seadragon and Pipefish

A team of researchers from Germany, China, Singapore, Belgium, and Japan has successfully sequenced and analyzed male and female genomes of the common seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) and the alligator pipefish (Syngnathoides biaculeatus). Key features of the common seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) and the alligator pipefish (Syngnathoides biaculeatus) and their phylogenetic positions: …

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DNA Found in Georgian Cave

An international team of scientists has retrieved and analyzed nuclear and mitochondrial environmental DNA of humans, wolfs (Canis lupus), and bisons (Bison bonasus) from a 25,000-year-old sediment sample from the Upper Paleolithic site of Satsurblia Cave, western Georgia, Caucasus. Gelabert et al. retrieved human and mammalian nuclear and mitochondrial environmental …

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Coronavirus Epidemic

The genomes of multiple East Asian populations bear the signature of a viral epidemic that occurred approximately 900 generations, or 25,000 years (28 years per generation) ago, according to a new study published in the journal Current Biology. Souilmi et al. apply evolutionary analyses to human genomic datasets to recover …

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European Water Vole

A team of UK researchers has decoded the complete genome of a semi-aquatic mammal called the European water vole (Arvicola amphibius). The European water vole (Arvicola amphibius). Image credit: Peter Trimming / CC BY 2.0. The European water vole is a small semi-aquatic rodent native to Europe and Asia. Often …

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Lemon Gum Tree

An international team of researchers has for the first time mapped the genome of the lemon-scented gum (Corymbia citriodora). Lemon-scented gum trees (Corymbia citriodora) at the Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens in Australia. Image credit: Bidgee / CC BY 3.0. The lemon-scented gum is a species of tall tree grown for …

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