Category Archives: Genome

New Delhi: Scientists say they are building yeast DNA from scratch, paving the way towards creating new organisms in the lab, amid huge scientific hurdles and public scrutiny.

The initiative being discussed at the New York City meeting in May - Genome Project-write (GP-write) - has been surrounded by worries over creating unnatural beings in the labs.

For the notable project, the group of researchers aim to synthesise from scratch all 23 chromosomes of the human genome and insert them into cells in the lab.

While scientists are yet to come to a conclusion on a specific road map for moving forward of the project, creating a human genome from scratch is a tremendous scientific and engineering challenge, which they believe will hinge on developing new methods for synthesizing and delivering DNA.

The GP-write consortium members believe that turning to human genome synthesis will also enable new cell therapies and other medical advances.

The overall project is still under development, and scientists are also unclear where funding will come from.

The synthetic genomes and chromosomes already constructed by scientists are by no means simple, but to synthesize the human genome, scientists will have to address a whole other level of complexity.

Our genome is composed of more than 3 billion bases across 23 paired chromosomes. And to synthesize the human genome could mean scientists will have to address a whole other level of complexity.

The GP-Write project is being managed by the Center of Excellence for Engineering Biology, a new non-profit organisation.

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Decoding human genome: Scientists creating yeast DNA from scratch - Zee News

SAN FRANCISCO, July 24, 2017/PRNewswire/ --Genome Medical, a nationwide genetic medical practice, today announced the launch of "Genetic Navigator," a telemedicine service that offers consumers virtual access to a network of clinical genetic experts. The service is available through a partnership with the personal genomics company Helix. Genetic Navigator is designed to guide and support consumers navigating Helix's newly launched marketplace for DNA-powered products.

When consumers begin browsing the product choices on Helix, they may have questions about which product to choose or have questions about their results. This is where Genome Medical comes in. The company's genetic experts can serve as trusted navigators to help find the right health product to meet the individual's need. And Genome Medical's Genetic Navigator is unique among the Helix partners -- it is the only expert consultation service linked directly to the marketplace.

Genome Medical can also help consumers move toward personalized healthcare by creating a clinical action plan that incorporates pertinent genetic findings into guidance for ongoing care.

"The Helix marketplace offers a unique way for individuals to explore their DNA and continue to gaingenetic insights over a lifetime. Genome Medical is the ideal partner to provide personalized, clinical guidance on this journey," said Lisa Alderson, Genome Medical CEO and co-founder. "Ourgeneticexperts first navigate individuals to the right test based on personal and family health history. We then help individuals realize the full potential of their genetic insights by integrating results from testing into recommended clinical care."

"Helix and Genome Medical have a shared mission to make genomics accessible and relevant to our everyday lives," said Justin Kao, SVP and co-founder of Helix. "By integrating expert genetic counseling services into our marketplace through our partnership with Genome Medical, we are ensuring that our customers have the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of personal genomics. Together, Helix and Genome Medical will help people make informed choices about which products suit their needs and receive context and guidance to appropriately interpret their DNA results."

Genetic Navigator for Helix: How It WorksGenome Medical's Genetic Navigator service will be promoted on the Helix marketplace and will offer virtual access to professional clinical genetic experts.

Visit http://www.genomemedical.com/helix to learn more. The Helix marketplace can be accessed at http://www.helix.com.

About Genome MedicalGenome Medical, Inc. is a nationwide genomics medical practice. Our clinical genetics experts are dedicated to integrating genomics into everyday health care in order to improve health, accelerate disease diagnosis and lower the cost of care. We help both individuals and clinicians navigate the rapidly expanding field of genetic testing and use test results to make informed decisions.Genome Medical is headquartered in San Francisco. To learn more, please visit http://www.genomemedical.com or find us on Twitter @GenomeMed.

About HelixHelix is a personal genomics company with a simple but powerful mission: to empower every person to improve their life through DNA. We've created the first marketplace for DNA-powered products where people can explore diverse and uniquely personalized products developed by high-quality partners. Helix handles sample collection, DNA sequencing, and secure data storage so that our partners can integrate DNA insights into products across a range of categories, including health, fitness, nutrition, entertainment, family, ancestry, and more. From profound insights to just-for-fun discoveries, Helix is here to help people live a fuller life. Helix is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, and has a CLIA- and CAP-accredited Next-Generation Sequencing lab in San Diego. Learn more atwww.helix.com.

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Genome Medical Introduces Unique Service and Partners with Helix to Guide Consumers on the New Helix Marketplace - Markets Insider

Could your sweat (or saliva) be a clue to a successful weight loss regime?

The weight-loss app Lose It! and Silicon Valley DNA analytics start-up Helix on Monday released embodyDNA, a service that analyzes 16 different traits as they relate to weight loss, nutrition, fitness and sensitivities to certain foods. It measures everything from body mass index and the metabolism of nutrients to muscle mass and gluten tolerance to give people insights into their genetic makeup, says Kevin McCoy, senior vice president of business development at the Boston-based Lose It.

It costs $190 for a new customer or $110 if you are previous Helix customer. 23AndMe provides ancestry information, but there several other companies provide DNA analysis and nutrition programs to help with weight loss, including DNAFit, Fitness Genes and Nutrigenomix. They can cost as much as $289, depending on the plan. (Privacy policies vary for each service, but Lose It users must opt into their data being aggregated anonymously for future research.)

There are over 100 locations across the genome that play roles in various obesity traits, according to this 2015 study of more than 500,000 genetic samples published in the journal Nature by researchers at the University of Michigan. The large number of genes makes it less likely that one solution to beat obesity will work for everyone and opens the door to possible ways we could use genetic clues to help defeat obesity, senior study author Elizabeth Speliotes said.

But other more recent studies put less emphasis on the link between obesity and DNA. While genotype plays a role in obesity, another 2016 study in the British Medical Journal found that individuals carrying a gene that might give them a propensity for obesity respond equally well to a change in diet, physical activity and/or drug-based weight loss treatments. A genetic predisposition to obesity can be at least partly counteracted through such interventions, it concluded.

Some fitness experts are also sanguine about the usefulness of these DNA analytic services for dieting. Anne Machalinski, a writer for Self magazine and marathon runner, tried Fitness Genes service and was told she had an increased obesity risk and had muscles that recovered quickly from exercise. These recommendations are essentially common sense of the eat less and move more variety, she wrote for Self, plus a push for resistance, strength and high intensity interval training.

Still, as this 2016 study in the British Medical Journal concluded, DNA analysis can motivate people to lose weight. It can be a life or death decision: Weight gain in early and middle adulthood will increase health risks later in life, researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health said last week. People who gained 5 to 22 pounds before aged 55 increased their risk of premature death, chronic diseases and decreased the likelihood of achieving healthy aging, it found.

On the plus side, theres also plenty of other common sense data to help people stay fit and healthy. Americans log nearly 6 percent more calories on Saturdays than any other day of the week, and an extra 3 percent calories than normal on Fridays, according to separate analysis of millions of calorie counters from Lose It! Breakfast and dinners on weekends when people are either with friends or kicking back are also a time for a spike in calories over other mornings (by between 6.5 percent and 7 percent).

And Americans who are keeping tabs on their weight might also do well to watch the clock. Snacks that are better for you such as nuts, vegetable slices or fruits peak at around noon, followed by a slightly smaller rise in savory and sweet snacks at that, according to market research company The NPD Group, but sweet snacks such as candy, chocolate and ice-cream peak in the evening just after 8 p.m. A third of snack and/or appetizers are consumed during lunch or dinner.

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This app analyzes your genome to help you lose weight - New York Post

Since 1982 the Gallup Poll [a repost of RJSs post because tomorrow night Dennis and I will be giving a public lecture at Regent College(Vancouver) on our project] has been asking Americans about their views on evolution and human origins. This week they released the results of their most recent survey conducted in early May of this year (here). The question posed (with the order of options randomized):

Which of the following statements comes closest to your views on the origin and development of human beings:

The answers have changed modestly over the last 35 years, with the most significant change an increase in the percentage of those who are comfortable with no guidance at all. This has increased from 9 to 19% over the years, with a concomitant decrease in those who see God involved in the process in one way or another. The plot to the right summarizes the data reported by Gallup. Ive added error bars at the +/- 4% level reported for the current poll as this helps to clarify the reliability of the results.

The latest poll is noteworthy in that it marks the first time that creation in their present form within the last 10000 years was not the clear favorite and the first time this response dropped below 40%. Whether this is a blip (similar to the dip in 2010) or represents a trend remains to be seen. It is encouraging, however, that the drop in the young creation view is countered by an increase in those comfortable with God guiding development over millions of years rather than an increase in the no guidance position.

The Gallup report analyzes these results according to religious views, church attendance, and education level. There are no real surprises here those who attend church regularly are far more likely to agree choose the young creation view (65% of weekly attenders). The results also correlate strongly with education. The difference between the respondents with and without a college degree is striking. Postgraduate education has a smaller influence.

Is a change afoot? An enormous number of book have been published over the last decade wrestling with the questions of evolution and Christian faith. Ive reviewed or commented on several dozen books on this blog, with more on the way (I am not sure of the exact number Ive read and reviewed I stopped counting and returned to writing this post when I passed 36 on the shelves in my study). I am currently working through Adam and the Genome, Evolution and the Fall, Science and Christianity, and The Emergence of Personhood, three of which focus on the questions raised by human evolution.

Most of the books that have been, and are being, published work through the theological and biblical questions raised by evolution. This is significant. As a church we are digging into the important questions. These book are being published (often by relatively conservative Christian publishers) and are being read. At the recent BioLogos conference, one author noted that publishers who shied away from his work a decade ago as too controversial are approaching him about the possibility of publishing his next book.

Although resistance remains, I have found far more willingness to listen and understand than was common a decade ago. Dennis Venema recently made a similar observation on a post at BioLogos: A Decade of Evolutionary Creation: Milestones and Signposts.

Evolutionary creation is a viable option for understanding and making sense of Gods world.

Do you think there is an increased openness to evolutionary creation?

If so, what is driving this change?

If you wish to contact me directly you may do so at rjs4mail [at] att.net.

If interested you can subscribe to a full text feed of my posts at Musings on Science and Theology.

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Tomorrow Night, Regent College, Adam and the Genome - Patheos (blog)

Source: Sinclair Stammers / Science Photo Library

In the first large-scale study of malaria gene function, researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute analysed more than half of the genes in the genome of one species of malaria parasite,Plasmodium berghei

The genomes of malaria parasites contain many genes of unknown function. However, knowing the genes and pathways that contribute to parasite growth is critical to guiding the discovery of new drug targets.

In the first large-scale study of malaria gene function, researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute analysed more than half of the genes in the genome of one species of malaria parasite, Plasmodium berghei. To do this, they measured the growth rates in mice of 2,578 P. berghei knockout mutants, each of which were tagged with a unique barcode.

It was found that during a single blood stage of its life cycle, the P. berghei parasite requires around two-thirds of the genes looked at to develop normally.

Publishing their results in Cell[1] (13 July), the researchers say that this shows there are many more potential targets for new antimalarial drug development than previously thought.

Citation: Clinical Pharmacist, CP July 2017 online, online | DOI: 10.1211/CP.2017.20203236

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Large malaria genome study highlights surprising number of potential drug targets - The Pharmaceutical Journal

A Silicon Valley startup called Helix is betting on the notion that not only do people want to learn more about their DNA, but theyll also pay to keep interacting withit.

the company, which was founded in 2015 with $100 million from genomics giant Illumina, is launching its much-anticipated online hub where people can digitally explore their genetic code by downloading different applications on their computers or mobile devices. Think of it as an app store for your genome

From the consumer side, people will have to get their genes sequenced only once, then they can choose from different apps in categories like ancestry, fitness, health, and nutrition and pay as they go

One company, Exploragen, says it can tell you about your sleep patternslike whether youre a morning person or a night owl Another company, Dot One, willexamine the tiny portion of your genes that makes you different from everyone else and print that unique code onto a customized fabric scarf

A third company, Insitome, has an app that will determine what percentage of your DNA you inherited from Neanderthals and how those traits are relevant to your health.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post:A DNA App Store Is Here, but Proceed with Caution

Continued here:
What's next in consumer genetics? Helix's 'app store for your genome' - Genetic Literacy Project

People who enjoy exploring coastal tidal pools and observing the primordial soup from which life on land emerged find any number of fascinating creatures hidden among the algae-coated rocks. But it is the algae that most fascinates East Carolina University biologist John Stiller, to the potential benefit of the multi-billion dollar international aquaculture industry and a hungry world population.

Stiller, an associate professor of plant genomics who specializes in the study of molecular evolution and algal genomics, served as a primary researcher on a 50-member team led by the University of Maine, the Carnegie Institution for Science and ECU that sequenced and analyzed the genome of Porphyra umbilicalis, a red alga (think the black stuff wrapped around sushi) that lives in the rocky intertidal zone, one of the most dynamic and difficult habitats on the planet. These algae are thought to represent one of the oldest forms of marine life and a major international food source.

Stiller and his colleagues conducted the research work forthe U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, supported by the National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Their findings were published in June by the National Academy of Science under the title, Insights into the red algae and eukaryotic evolution from the genome of Porphyra umbilicalis.

In the high intertidal zone it occupies, Porphyra is exposed daily and seasonally to a wide variety of environmental stresses, Stiller told The Daily Reflector. On one day, it may be immersed in seawater in the morning, then fully exposed to baking sun and drying winds at low tide in the afternoon. The next day, it could rain during low tide, meaning Porphyra blades must adjust to a large change in salinity in just a few minutes after the tide recedes. In colder months, low tides can bring snow and freezing temperatures during low tides.

Porphyra is one of the few algae, or organisms of any kind for that matter, that can thrive in these kinds of conditions, Stiller said. Moreover, it has managed to persist in this environment through every mass extinction in the earths history, including the great Permian extinction that wiped out 80 percent of the planets species, and the end Cretaceous event that was responsible of the death of the dinosaurs.

Despite where it lives, Porphyra has avoided the same fates, and the analysis of the genome that Stiller and his teammates studied provides new insights into the metabolic pathways that allow it be so adaptable and flexible.

While there is an increasing interestin algae as an energy source, Porphyra has not been targeted as a source of biofuels because it is relatively low in fats, Stiller said. It is, however, a major source of food in maritime communities of Asia and Europe, and is the basis for an international aquaculture industry that generates billions of dollars annually.

Its been more of a specialty item in the US, but its popularity is growing, largely because of its health properties, Stiller said. Personally, I dont like the taste and dont eat it myself.

Porphyra is extremely rich in protein, vitamin C, vitamin B-12 and other antioxidants, but low in fats. Tracing the genome sequence provides a much clearer understanding of how Porphyra grows and of the metabolic pathways responsible for its exceptional nutritional properties, meaning researchers will be able to better manipulate growth conditions and genetic properties to further improve yields and nutrient content, the ECU scientist said.

The genome is an important resource for most research on algae and plants for human use, Stiller said. Understanding how to improve stress tolerance is valuable for many algae/plants used in agriculture and other human and societal enterprises. This is where our alga really shines.

Even if, like Stiller, you dont like the taste of seaweed, imagine, as Stiller does, a future in which Porphyras desirable genetic properties might be instilled in land crops to give them the ability to resist and survive drought, flood, cold, heat and other conditions the way it does.

Algae are particularly valuable for scientific study because they are old really old from the perspective of plant and animal life.

A close relative of Porphyra umbilicalis, the species we studied, has been identified in the fossil record from over a billion years ago, Stiller said.

Though red algae are one of the oldest multicellular lineages, only a few have had their genomes sequenced, according to information distributed by the Energy Department.

Because of Stillers knowledge and experience, ECU is one of three lead institutions in the Porphyra genome sequencing project. Along with Susan Brawley at the University of Maine and Arthur Grossman at the Carnegie Institute at Stanford University, Stiller was one of the three principle investigators on the Community Sequencing Grant from the Department of Energy/Joint Genomics Institute, which funded and carried out the core sequencing and computational assembly of the genome.

It is remarkable that this organism has lived this long and spread to other organisms that are the basis of the air we breathe and the energy sources for all marine life, Stiller said. To be able to understand the fundamental genetic basis for its function for over a billion years is really exciting. To have ECUs name on the research and have us associated with such important marine and coastal biology research is a plus for me.

Contact Michael Abramowitz at mabramowitz@reflector.comor 252-329-9507.

More:
Super seaweed: ECU biologist helps unravel secrets of algae genome - Greenville Daily Reflector

SINGAPORE - The Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) has launched a new laboratory that will help provide customised, cutting-edge treatment for cancer patients.

The lab - set up in partnership with local healthcare bioanalytic firm Invitrocue - will develop models of cancerous tumours using cells from patients, and utilise tech tools like artificial intelligence and data mining to trawl through genetic information found in cell models.

It will then identify novel biomarkers - molecules or genes linked to the illness - to measure drug resistance and the responses to treatment.

The lab's efforts will help provide a real-time status update for the treatment a patient is undergoing in a clinic, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) and Invitrocuesaidin a joint statement today (July 24). GIS comes under A*Star.

The lab - called the GIS-IVQ Joint Laboratory - was launched at the University of Adelaide's Australia-Singapore Relationship Conference, held at Goodwood Park Hotel on Monday.

Dr Steven Fang, executive director and founder of Invitrocue, said: "The new lab will bring our work another step closer to commercialisation for life-saving technologies that essentially take the guesswork out of cancer treatment, and improve the quality of life for the patient."

Dr Fang is also an adjunct professor at the University of Adelaide.

The lab will be housed at the Genome building in Biopolisand will carry out research into head and neck cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer, which makes up 10 per cent of all breast cancers in Singapore.

It will cost about $10 million to operate over the next few years.

GIS said it decided to focus on these types of cancer because they are diseases with no biomarker-guided therapy, and are common in Singapore and South-east Asia.

The lab will be the first in the Asia-Pacific region to focus on the integration of phenotypic data observable characteristics of a cancer cell, for instance whether it dies and genomic data the different genes expressed by the cancer cells.

It will employ up to 20 personnel in scientific and technical roles, and expects to fill, over the next two years, another 18 new positions that require cell biology and bioengineering expertise.

Invitrocue has also entered into tie-ups with groups such as the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Australia to scale up its efforts.

GIS executive director Ng Huck Hui said: "We are delighted to partner Invitrocue. This collaboration will help to advance our research in precision medicine and, most importantly, contribute to better patient outcomes through the development of new treatments."

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Genome Institute's new lab to focus on customised, cutting-edge cancer treatment - The Straits Times

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19:13 22.07.2017 Get short URL

A new study reveals at least three quarters of human genome is comprised of the so called junk DNA, seemingly confirming the fact that the human genome is the product of evolution and therefore not artificially created by some outside intelligent force.

Dan Graur, Professor ofthe Department ofBiology & Biochemistry atthe University ofHouston and author ofthe study, told Radio Sputnik that his research was based onthe work ofthe late Herman Muller, geneticist and Nobel laureate who created the concept ofthe mutation load.

"The mutation load essentially means that every functional part inyour body or inyour genome can experience changes that will be bad forthem. Like inlife, every functional entity, if left unchecked, will deteriorate and cease working you cannot leave your television onand expect that ina million years it will still work. The enemies ofgenes are mutations, and the vast majority ofmutations that happen inthe functional portion ofthe genome are deleterious," he explained.

According toGraur, humanity overcomes this problem by making more children toreplace the population size, thus compensating forthe loss ofpeople who die beforereaching the reproductive age.

"Now if the entire genome is functional, the number ofdeleterious mutations would be so great that it would require each person inthe world tohave more children thanthere are galaxies inthe universe So the only escape fromthis mutation load paradox is toassume that not the entire genome is functional, and according tomy calculations based onmutation rate and population size and genome size, the maximum that is possible tobe functional is about25 percent, more reasonably in-between 10 and 15," Graur said.

He also remarked that while his research is about "basic science" and that he doesnt care aboutits practical application, the study serves asproof that "our genomes are the product ofevolution."

"The main impact ofthis study is toshow that our genomes are the product ofevolution and not designed byan intelligent designer, because no intelligent designer would make anything so badly designed," Graur explained.

However, it also appears that it is this very large amount ofjunk DNA withinour genome is what makes us human, the scientist remarked.

"I suppose that if everything was functional, first ofall we wouldnt be human, so we would be something more similar tobacteria. We would be able tomultiply very rapidly and be able tosustain mutations. The only human who would have a 100-percent genome will be one inwhich mutations do not occur," Graur said, adding that it is unlikely tohappen duringhis lifetime.

Original post:
The Secret of Junk DNA: Study Confirms Human Genome is 'Product of Evolution' - Sputnik International

July 21, 2017 by Bob Yirka report Jaguar individual, called 'Vagalume' ('Firefly' in Portuguese), whose genome was sequenced. Credit: Rodrigo Teixeira

(Phys.org)A large international team of researchers has conducted a genetic analysis and comparison of the world's biggest cats to learn more about their history. In their paper published on the open source site Science Advances, the team describes their work mapping the genome of the jaguar and comparing the results with other big cats.

The jaguar is the largest wild cat in the Americas, and as the researchers note, it is also in danger of becoming extinct. While some of the reasons for the rapid decline in jaguar populations are obvious, others are not so clear. That is why the team embarked on a five-year mission to study the animals hoping to learn how to save them.

One of the avenues of research involved mapping the genome of the jaguarsuch mapping for other big cats had already been done. That allowed the researchers to compare markers between cats belonging to the genus Panthera, which, in addition to jaguars, also includes tigers, lions, snow leopards and regular leopards. Also, because so much genetic work has been done on the common house cat, they, too, were included in the study.

The researchers report that they found over 13,000 genes that were similar through all of the species included in the study. They also found that the cats all diverged from a single ancestor approximately 4.6 million years agoone that was apparently most like the modern leopard. The team also found that all of the species populations have also declined over the past 300,000 years, which means lower genetic diversity.

One surprise they found was that the big cats have all engaged in cross-breeding multiple times over the course of their history, and because of that, have evolved new features that have proved useful in other areas. They suspect, for example, that the jaguar, which has the strongest bite of all the big cats, found itself with a larger head after breeding with lionsthat may have led to a bite strength increase, which made it possible for them to hunt better protected animals in the New World.

Explore further: Scientists say the American lion is not a lion after all

More information: Henrique V. Figueir et al. Genome-wide signatures of complex introgression and adaptive evolution in the big cats, Science Advances (2017). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1700299

Abstract The great cats of the genus Panthera comprise a recent radiation whose evolutionary history is poorly understood. Their rapid diversification poses challenges to resolving their phylogeny while offering opportunities to investigate the historical dynamics of adaptive divergence. We report the sequence, de novo assembly, and annotation of the jaguar (Panthera onca) genome, a novel genome sequence for the leopard (Panthera pardus), and comparative analyses encompassing all living Panthera species. Demographic reconstructions indicated that all of these species have experienced variable episodes of population decline during the Pleistocene, ultimately leading to small effective sizes in present-day genomes. We observed pervasive genealogical discordance across Panthera genomes, caused by both incomplete lineage sorting and complex patterns of historical interspecific hybridization. We identified multiple signatures of species-specific positive selection, affecting genes involved in craniofacial and limb development, protein metabolism, hypoxia, reproduction, pigmentation, and sensory perception. There was remarkable concordance in pathways enriched in genomic segments implicated in interspecies introgression and in positive selection, suggesting that these processes were connected. We tested this hypothesis by developing exome capture probes targeting ~19,000 Panthera genes and applying them to 30 wild-caught jaguars. We found at least two genes (DOCK3 and COL4A5, both related to optic nerve development) bearing significant signatures of interspecies introgression and within-species positive selection. These findings indicate that post-speciation admixture has contributed genetic material that facilitated the adaptive evolution of big cat lineages.

Journal reference: Science Advances

2017 Phys.org

(PhysOrg.com) -- There has been some debate over the last century or so about whether the extinct American lion, Panthera atrox, which dates from the Pleistocene, is related to present day African lions (Panthera leo) or ...

The seven big cats that went extinct towards the end of the last Ice Age, including several sabre-toothed cats, are those which lost the greatest proportion of their prey, according to an international team of scientists ...

(Phys.org) -- Modern cats diverged in skull shape from their sabre-toothed ancestors early in their evolutionary history and then followed separate evolutionary trajectories, according to new research from the University ...

Why do cats purr? Humans tend to think that purring is a sign of happiness in a cat and indeed it can be but there are other reasons why our feline friends produce this particular vocalisation.

Prowling through the icy Himalaya mountains, snow leopards seem unfazed by the rarefied atmosphere. Yet, according to an international team of researchers lead by Jay Storz from the University of Nebraska, USA, Jan Janecka ...

(Phys.org)A trio of researchers has presented their preliminary findings regarding a mitochondrial DNA study they have undertaken as part of an effort to learn more about the domestication history of the modern house cat. ...

Three new species of toads have been discovered living in Nevada's Great Basin in an expansive survey of the 190,000 square mile ancient lake bottom. Discoveries of new amphibians are extremely rare in the United States with ...

(Phys.org)A large international team of researchers has conducted a genetic analysis and comparison of the world's biggest cats to learn more about their history. In their paper published on the open source site Science ...

Grasshopper mice (genus Onychomys), rodents known for their remarkably loud call, produce audible vocalizations in the same way that humans speak and wolves howl, according to new research published in Proceedings of the ...

Cutting through the ocean like a jet through the sky, giant bluefin tuna are built for performance, endurance and speed. Just as the fastest planes have carefully positioned wings and tail flaps to ensure precision maneuverability ...

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered how Cas1-Cas2, the proteins responsible for the ability of the CRISPR immune system in bacteria to adapt to new viral infections, identify the site in ...

Instead of having more children, a grandmother may pass on her genes more successfully by using her cognitive abilities to directly or indirectly aid her existing children and grandchildren. Such an advantage could have driven ...

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Genome study offers clues about history of big cats - Phys.Org