http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A group of drunken fruit flies have helped researchers from North Carolina State and Boston universities identify entire networks of genes -also present in humans -that play a key role in alcohol drinking behavior. This discovery, published in the October 2009 print issue of the journal GENETICS, provides a crucial explanation of why some people seem to tolerate alcohol better than others, as well as a potential target for drugs aimed at preventing or eliminating alcoholism. In addition, this discovery sheds new light on many of the negative side effects of drinking, such as liver damage. http://www.physorg.com/news176472305.html Biology Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:40:04 EST news176472305 A team of scientists from The University of Alabama used worms to reel in information that they hope will lead to a greater understanding of cellular mechanisms that may be exploited to treat epilepsy. In a new research report in the journal Genetics, the researchers explain how the transparent roundworm, C. elegans, helped them identify key "molecular switches" that control the transport of a molecule (gamma-aminobutyric acid or "GABA") that if manipulated within our cells, might prevent the onset of seizures. http://www.physorg.com/news179588495.html Medicine & Health Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:43:06 EST news179588495 Researchers at North Carolina State University have found a genetic "switch" in fruit flies that plays an important role in making flies more tolerant to alcohol. http://www.physorg.com/news175347713.html Medicine & Health Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:44:07 EST news175347713 High-tech forensics firm, Casework Genetics is applying new technology to forensic evidence enabling law enforcement labs to solve crimes with greater molecular precision and efficiency than ever before. http://www.physorg.com/news174665661.html Medicine & Health Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:20:02 EST news174665661 In a research report published in the November 2009 issue of the journal Genetics, scientists show how a family of genes (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase, or ACS genes) are responsible for production of ethylene. This gas affects many aspects of plant development, and this information lays the foundation for future genetic manipulation that could make plants disease resistant, able to survive and thrive in difficult terrain, increase yields, and other useful agronomical outcomes. This discovery was made with the weed Arabidopsis thaliana, but it will be applicable to plants used in agriculture. http://www.physorg.com/news178186563.html Biology Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:40:03 EST news178186563 The first genetic historical map of the Han Chinese, the largest ethnic population in the world, as they migrated from south to north over evolutionary time. was published online today by the American Journal of Human Genetics by scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS). http://www.physorg.com/news178382161.html Medicine & Health Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:36:36 EST news178382161 (PhysOrg.com) -- An international research team including researchers at UQ's Diamantina Institute and the Queensland Institute of Medical Research has identified a new variant of a gene that helps to regulate iron and haemoglobin levels. http://www.physorg.com/news174650930.html Medicine & Health Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:30:10 EST news174650930 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers from the UC San Diego School of Medicine and colleagues have identified a new gene, ETS-1, that is linked to human congenital heart defects. The landmark study, recently published online in the journal of Human Molecular Genetics, provides important insights into some of the most prevalent forms of congenital heart defects in humans, including ventricular septal defects and potentially hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a uniformly fatal heart abnormality. http://www.physorg.com/news180297192.html Medicine & Health Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:50:03 EST news180297192 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have long known that the offspring of two inbred strains tend to be superior to both their parents. Now, a team of researchers including a University of Florida geneticist has discovered clues to why that might be the case for one of the most important crops in the world: corn. http://www.physorg.com/news177862070.html Biology Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:08:20 EST news177862070 (PhysOrg.com) -- UW researchers have successfully used a method called exome sequencing to quickly discover a previously unknown gene responsible for a rare disorder. The finding demonstrates the usefulness of exome sequencing in studying the 7,000 plus rare genetic disorders affecting millions of people. http://www.physorg.com/news177670903.html Medicine & Health Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:10:04 EST news177670903 The loss of a gene through deletion of genetic material on chromosome 15 is associated with significant abnormalities in learning and behavior, said a consortium of researchers led by Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears online today in the journal Nature Genetics. http://www.physorg.com/news176908780.html Medicine & Health Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:21:46 EST news176908780 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, Davis. http://www.physorg.com/news176654326.html Biology Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:10:02 EST news176654326 Carotenoids -fat-soluble plant compounds found in some vegetables -are essential to the human diet and reportedly offer important health benefits to consumers. Plant carotenoids are the most important source of vitamin A in the human diet; the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, found in corn and leafy greens vegetable such as kale, broccoli, and spinach, are widely considered to be valuable antioxidants capable of protecting humans from chronic diseases including age-related macular degeneration, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. http://www.physorg.com/news176565486.html Biology Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:30:02 EST news176565486 Choosing the right cell type is particularly important in genetic studies. This is apparent from research published on 16 October in PLoS Genetics. Dutch researcher Alice Gerrits has shown how variations in the genome can influence the activity of genes. This effect was found to be strongly dependent on the cell type in which these genes were active. http://www.physorg.com/news176575057.html Biology Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:30:03 EST news176575057 Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine researchers have identified a gene that may play a pivotal role in two processes that are essential for tumor development, growth and progression to metastasis. Scientists hope the finding could lead to an effective therapy to target and inhibit the expression of this gene resulting in inhibition of cancer growth. http://www.physorg.com/news177945339.html Medicine & Health Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:16:30 EST news177945339