Related topics: genetic variation

The trouble of being tall: Giraffes and their genes

The giraffe is a truly puzzling animal. With its exceptional anatomy and suite of evolutionary adaptations, the giraffe is an outstanding case of animal evolution and physiology. Now, an international team of researchers ...

How maize makes an antibiotic cocktail

Maize (Zea mays) produces a plethora of antibiotics called zealexins. Even though scientists have identified at least 15 zealexins, they suspect there are even more to find. Zealexins are produced in every corn variety and ...

Problems with reproduction in birds

In birds and other species alike, pairs can face considerable difficulties with reproduction. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen have now shown in an extensive analysis of 23,000 zebra finch ...

Study finds 'silent' genetic variations can alter protein folding

Proteins, the workhorse of the human cell, help digest our food, carry oxygen through the body, fight off invading microbes, and so much more—but they only function when folded properly into specific, three dimensional ...

Study reveals origin of endangered Colombian poison frog hybrids

The origin of an understudied hybrid population of poisonous frogs—highly endangered colorful animals that live deep in the Colombian jungle—is the result of natural breeding and not caused by wildlife traffickers moving ...

Origin story: Rewriting human history through DNA

For most of our evolutionary history—for most of the time anatomically modern humans have been on Earth—we've shared the planet with other species of humans. It's only been in the last 30,000 years, the mere blink of ...

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