February 2013
3 posts
1 tag
Appendix Evolved Over 30 Times, May Perform Useful...
by Colin Barras on 12 February 2013, 4:35 PM The appendix may not be useless after all. The worm-shaped structure found near the junction of the small and large intestines evolved 32 times among mammals, according to a new study. The finding adds weight to the idea that the appendix helps protect our beneficial gut bacteria when a serious infection strikes.
Charles Darwin was one of the first...
Baboon Infidelity Study Shows Geladas Cheat & Try...
By: Joseph Castro, LiveScience Contributor Published: 02/12/2013 11:09 AM EST on LiveScience
Between secret rendezvous, deleted messages and outright lies, people will go to great lengths to cover up unfaithful acts. But it now seems we aren’t unique in our deception — gelada baboons also actively try to hide their infidelity, new research suggests.
“This kind of deception is...
January 2013
2 posts
1 tag
'Quadruple helix' DNA seen in human cells
Cambridge University scientists say they have seen four-stranded DNA at work in human cells for the first time.
The famous “molecule of life”, which carries our genetic code, is more familiar to us as a double helix.
But researchers tell the journal Nature Chemistry that the “quadruple helix” is also present in our cells, and in ways that might possibly relate to...
They hunt, they kill, they cheat : Golden algae
Cheating is a behavior not limited to humans, animals and plants. Even microscopically small, single-celled algae do it, a team of UA researchers has discovered.
Humans do it, chimpanzees do it, cuckoos do it – cheating to score a free ride is a well-documented behavior by many animals, even plants. But microscopically small, single-celled algae? Yes, they do it too, biologists with the University...
August 2011
2 posts
8 tags
Evolution machine: Genetic engineering on fast... →
existentialistmumbojumbo:
Automated genetic tinkering is just the start – this machine could be used to rewrite the language of life and create new species of humans
IT IS a strange combination of clumsiness and beauty. Sitting on a cheap-looking worktop is a motley ensemble of flasks, trays and tubes squeezed onto a home-made frame. Arrays of empty pipette tips wait expectantly. Bunches of...
4 tags
