DNA solves riddle of extinct Xerces butterfly
Museum DNA confirms the extinction of the Xerces blue butterfly.
Near-century-old butterfly DNA has confirmed that the Xerces blue butterfly, famously wiped out by humans in the 194...
Biology
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Super-fast Hendra test
Developers claim new testing kit can detect killer virus in minutes.
Tests for the deadly Hendra virus, most often found in horses but transmissible to humans, can be quicker than ever t...
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Video
Engineering a Virus
What you need to know about gain of function research
Gain-of-function research is a technique used in virology and genetics to alter the function of a virus, in order to ...
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The next-generation biology revolution promises new products and industries
Synthetic biology – using life’s protein building blocks to create almost anything – has the pote...
At the start of my career, I didn’t set out to work in the field of synthetic biology. It didn’t exist. But the pace ...
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No ovaries required: viable eggs grown in a dish
Ova created from mice stem cells, that become fully formed creatures – all in the lab.
Scientists have successfully coaxed mouse stem cells to develop into functional eggs in a dish - that then grew into ...
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How to think when you don't have a brain
Even a form of brainless slime mould can makes decisions about its next venture. What can it teac...
Ever met someone who seems to get around without a brain? Maybe they aren’t as dumb as they seem. A team of US biolog...
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Gene therapy turns children’s lives around
A new technique to treat a rare disorder could potentially target neurodegenerative diseases like...
Promising results have emerged from a gene therapy to “reprogram” cells to reverse the effects of a genetic disorder ...
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Aww, rats: Australian research rodents prove to be poor earners
Australia’s primary supplier of rodents for scientific research is closing down in a couple of ye...
The most expensive rat on the menu at the Animal Resources Centre (ARC), in Western Australia, costs $872.13. The pri...
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What is gain of function research in genetics?
Speculation about viral leaks in Wuhan brings research techniques into the spotlight.
It’s the rumour that won’t go away – that SARS-CoV-2 was accidentally leaked from a high biosecurity lab in Wuhan, Ch...
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How epigenetics encodes plant sperm
UK study could have benefits for crop improvement.
An anther. The sperm grows in the black area. CLSY3 (fused with a yellow fluorescent protein) is specifically express...
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Highly effective malaria vaccine
Vaccine shows promise in Phase 1 clinical trials.
Early data on a new malaria treatment, involving both a vaccine and a prophylactic drug, has revealed promising resul...
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5000-year-old remains reveal plague's genetic secrets
The case was less contagious than its descendants.
The remains of a 5000-year-old man have been discovered to house the oldest known strain of Yersinia pestis, the bact...