According to a new study, genomics – the science of mapping genes and DNA sequences – is ignoring a huge amount of genetic diversity. The authors point out that 85 per cent of the genomes that have been sequenced are from plants, animals or fungi, yet these individuals within these groups are genetically very similar […]
Category: Paper of Interest
Million-year-old plankton comes back to life
Scientists have recovered a form of plankton thought to be extinct for a million years. It is the only surviving member of a plankton lineage common 50 million years ago. The heat-loving, single-celled organism Dapsilidinium pastielsii was thought to have disappeared from the fossil record because of colder ocean temperatures. However, a group of […]
Looking to conserve bird evolution
We are currently in the middle of an extinction crisis, and birds are not spared. The authors from a new research paper conclude their approach could guide conservation efforts in order to maximize total biodiversity. Using a new mathematical approach to compare relationships among nearly 10,000 bird species, researchers have identified the species that are loneliest […]
Tamiflu & Relenza: how effective are they?
Governments across the world stock-pile flu vaccines and antiviral drugs like Tamiflu (oeltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir). While vaccines can prevent flu virus, the antiviral drugs are only designed to fight an infection that’s already underway. A new review of 46 clinical trials studies by The Cochrane Collaboration and the British Medical Journal shows that while both antiviral […]
Iceberg risk greater today than the in the year of the Titanic
A new study has found that the number of icebergs is on the rise in recent years. As the polar ice sheets are shrinking, the number of icebergs is increasing. It is becoming more likely that these icebergs will make it as far south as Newfoundland. The study also claims that the risk of coming […]
Is a Stradivarius violin really superior?
Are antique violins, such as those made by the Stradivari family, really as great as their reputation suggests? A new study organized a blind test of 12 violins – 6 new ones and 6 antiques, including 5 by Stradivari. In the end, 6 of the 10 soloists selected a new violin as their preferred instrument; […]
Gene mutations linked to childhood brain tumours
Two Canadian studies have found gene mutations that are linked to deadly brain tumors and could help scientists understand the causes of childhood brain cancer. In the first paper, researchers found mutations in a gene called ACVR1 in 20 per cent of a highly aggressive and difficult to treat childhood brain tumour, called diffuse intrinsic […]
Hummingbirds species continue to diversify and adapt
A new study shows that hummingbirds continue to diversify and adapt to different ecological niches all across North America, South America and the Caribbean. Researchers used genetic studies to reconstruct the family tree of the smallest birds and have found that hummingbirds invaded South America 22 million years ago and diversified into 338 known species […]
Atlantic temperatures could help explain colder winters
The extreme cold weather observed across Europe and the east coast of the US in recent winters could be partly due to a natural, long-term pattern of warming and cooling Atlantic waters, known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). Earth scientists have shown a connection between this pattern and changes in atmospheric circulation that allow […]
Molecule can help detect and prevent diabetes
Nearly a fifth of pregnant women develop a temporary form of diabetes – called gestational diabetes – that puts them at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life. A new study shows how a molecule called CMPF can help detect diabetes. An analysis of blood chemistry in a sub-population of subjects has […]
The evolution of cooperative parenting
Birds like Florida Scrub Jays and humans have something in common; they both make investments in raising children that aren’t there own, which at first seems to counter “survival of the fittest.” A new mathematical model shows that the benefits of helping outweigh the risks for species that are highly competitive for territory; helping your […]
Saliva gene linked to obesity
Having a high copy number of a gene increases the expression of the protein it encodes. A new genomic study on 6,200 subjects found a link between a low copy number of the gene for amylase — a salivary protein which breaks starch down into digestible sugar — with obesity and high body mass index […]
Tropical “Black Witch” found in Churchill, Manitoba
In Mexican folklore, the moth known as the Black Witch (Ascalapha odorata) is a bad omen, a harbinger of death. The species is normally found in tropical regions, but does occasionally come to southern Canada during the summer. A new paper documents a sighting of this species in Churchill, Manitoba, the furthest north it has ever […]
How ‘drug holidays’ may improve cancer treatment
Studies on melanomas in mice have shown that tumors which developed resistance to the anti-cancer drug vemurafenib could regain sensitivity to the treatment after a ‘drug holiday’. A new study shows that melanoma human patients that have developed resistance can regain sensitivity to the drug after a drug holiday of seven days. This means that […]
Availability of sugar-sweetened beverages in schools increases odds of teenage obesity
Previous research has shown that students drink more sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) when they attend a school where they are available. A new study that surveyed 11,385 students from 174 secondary schools in British Columbia – 43% of which reported access to SSBs. The researchers found that students who attend schools where SSBs were available have […]
Goats, smarter than your average ungulate
Like primates, goats forage widely and live in complex social groups, characteristics that are often associated with intelligence. A new study puts this to the test by training goats in a complex task that involves manipulating levers to release food. The goats were able to solve the task in less than two minutes, even 10 […]