A new paper on mapping LINE-1 and Alu insertions was published today in Mobile DNA. Here authors Kathleen Burns and Jane Welch tell us more about their research and the potential impact it will have on cancer research.
Referees’ decisions are often a major talking point when it comes to sports games. With the need to make spilt second decisions that can influence the result, it’s easy to see why. New research published today in Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, a Springer Open journal (sister company of BioMed Central) looks at how top level referees’ enhanced visual perception helps them spot foul play and make these split second decisions. Author of the study, Jochim Spitz, tells us more.
You can also read this on the Springer Open blog
Recently published in Genome Biology, the genome and gene expression profile of the grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes will facilitate studies of the evolution of C3 and C4 photosynthesis, with the hope of creating energy- and water-efficient plants suited to a changing climate.
How do you locate a gene associated with a specific trait when there are several billion base pairs to search through? This is the problem researchers working with barley and wheat genomes face. To tell us more about this and his recently published article in Genome Biology is wheat geneticist Brande Wulff.
Last week marked the inaugural meeting of the hugely ambitious Human Cell Atlas project. In attendance was Chief Editor of Genome Biology, Louisa Flintoft. Here she tells us more about this exciting new collaboration.
As the human population grows, we are depleting our natural resources such as oil reserves and land that is suitable for agriculture. In response to declining fossil fuel reserves, biofuels are increasingly being explored as a renewable alternative. Most of the world’s biofuel is produced in the form of ethanol by fermentation of sugar… Read more »
As part of Biology Week, we describe the exciting uses of remote sensor technology in animal behaviour, conservation and environmental science
Across the planet, seabird populations have severely declined in recent years. As part of today’s Biology Week focus on ocean life, we talk to Maria Dias, Senior Marine Science Officer at BirdLife International and Associate Editor of BMC Zoology, about the challenges of stemming seabird declines and ensuring we conserve these vital – and fascinating – parts of the marine ecosystem.
For Day 1 of Biology Week we are celebrating the great advances that have been made in bioengineering. Take this quiz to see how your knowledge stacks up!
Genome Biology recently published two articles that both look into finding potential biomarkers of aging. Here, Genome Biology Associate Editor, Yixin Yao, discusses both studies and gives an overview of epigenetic clocks.