Is DNA repair a substitute for sex?

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The bdelloid rotifer Philodina roseola. Bdelloids live in ephemeral aquatic habitats such as temporary freshwater pools. Credit: David Mark Welch
The bdelloid rotifer Philodina roseola. Bdelloids live in ephemeral aquatic habitats, such as temporary freshwater pools. Credit: David Mark Welch

Birds and bees may do it, but the microscopic animals called bdelloid rotifers seem to get along just fine without sex, thank you. What’s more, they have done so over millions of years of evolution, resulting in at least 370 species. These hardy creatures somehow escape the usual drawback of asexuality – extinction – and the MBL’s David Mark Welch, Matthew Meselson, and their colleagues are finding out how.


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Make your own microfluidic device with new kit from U-M

12 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
A type of device called a "lab-on-a-chip" could bring a new generation of instant home tests for illnesses, food contaminants and toxic gases. But today these portable, efficient tools are often stuck in the lab themselves. ...

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Jul 24, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
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Jul 24, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
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Study: No gender differences in math performance

Jul 24, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
We've all heard it. Many of us in fact believe it. Girls just aren't as good at math as boys. But is it true? After sifting through mountains of data - including SAT results and math scores from 7 million students who were ...

Plant steroids offer new paradigm for how hormones work

Jul 24, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
Steroids bulk up plants just as they do human athletes, but the playbook of molecular signals that tell the genes to boost growth and development in plant cells is far more complicated than in human and animal cells. A new ...
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