How Yeast Chromosomes Avoid the Bad Breaks

The human genome is peppered with repeated DNA elements that can vary from a few to thousands of consecutive copies of the same sequence. During meiosis—the cell division that produces sperm and eggs—repetitive elements place the genome at risk for...

Researchers Improve Method for Finding Genetic Mistakes That Fuel Cancer

A dramatically better computer tool for finding the genetic missteps that fuel cancer has been developed by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project investigators. Researchers are using the...

Daphnia Pulex Genome Reveals Its Secrets

The genome of the water flea, Daphnia pulex, has been sequenced by an international team of researchers, including Dietmar Kueltz, professor of animal science at UC Davis. And it turns out to hold a few surprises. How People Arrived Here: daphnia genome...

Discovered Gene Causes Kabuki Syndrome

Using a new, rapid and less expensive DNA sequencing strategy, scientists have discovered genetic alterations that account for most cases of Kabuki syndrome, a rare disorder that causes multiple birth defects and mental retardation. Instead of sequencing...

Sponge Shines Light on Life’s Origin

The simple sponge can reveal much about life on Earth. Researchers who have sequenced the genome of one Down Under inhabitant are learning just how common those roots are. Science Brief thanks to EurekAlert. Read more here: Sponge shines light on life’s...

Genome Signatures Enable Tracking of Algal Complexity

In the July 9 issue of Science, researchers led by the DOE Joint Genome Institute and the Salk Institute present the 138 million nucleotide genome of the multicellular alga Volvox carteri. The DOE is supporting research into the complex mechanisms present...

Genome Sequence for the Domestic Horse to Be Unveiled

The whole genome sequence of the domestic horse has been completed by the genome-sequencing center of The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, in collaboration with an international team of researchers that includes scientists at the University of California,...