Researchers discover novel 'gene toggles' in world's top food crop

User rating: 4.7 / 5 after 3 vote(s)

Blake Meyers associate professor of plant and soil sciences at UD a collaborator on the research is working to determine when the newly discovered microRNA in rice first evolved. Credit: Kathy F. AtkinsonUniversity of Delaware
Blake Meyers, associate professor of plant and soil sciences at UD, a collaborator on the research, is working to determine when the newly discovered microRNA in rice first evolved. Credit: Kathy F. Atkinson/University of Delaware

University of Delaware researchers, in collaboration with U.S. and international colleagues, have found a new type of molecule--a kind of “micro-switch”--that can turn off genes in rice, which is the primary source of food for more than half the world's population. The discovery is reported in the March 25 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.


Full story »
All News summaries from General Science news
All News summaries for April 09, 2008

Long lost sisters

8 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
The human race was divided into two separate groups within Africa for as much as half of its existence, says a Tel Aviv University mathematician. Climate change, reduction in populations and harsh conditions may have caused ...

Researcher finds El Nino may have been factor in Magellan's Pacific voyage

8 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
A new paper by North Carolina State University archaeologist Dr. Scott Fitzpatrick shows that Ferdinand Magellan’s historic circumnavigation of the globe was likely influenced in large part by unusual weather conditions – ...

MIT crafts bacteria-resistant films

8 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
Having found that whether bacteria stick to surfaces depends partly on how stiff those surfaces are, MIT engineers have created ultrathin films made of polymers that could be applied to medical devices and other surfaces ...

Simple Model Cell is Key to Understanding Cell Complexity

8 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
A team of Penn State researchers has developed a simple artificial cell with which to investigate the organization and function of two of the most basic cell components: the cell membrane and the cytoplasm--the ...

Fuel cells: distant dream, but burning with promise

10 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
Some day, fuel cells may power your car and exhaust only water and perhaps carbon dioxide. More efficient and cleaner than an internal combustion engine, their emissions will be much lower. They may also run ...
Goto Archive PhysOrg Forum Goto Archive Video Goto Archive Editorials Goto Archive Free Magazines Goto Archive Newsletter

News Archive