Model organism
hideA model organism is a species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the organism model will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. In particular, model organisms are widely used to explore potential causes and treatments for human disease when human experimentation would be unfeasible or unethical. This strategy is made possible by the common descent of all living organisms, and the conservation of metabolic and developmental pathways and genetic material over the course of evolution. Studying model organisms can be informative, but care must be taken when generalizing from one organism to another.
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News tagged with model organism
Introns: A mystery renewed
Dec 10, 2009 |
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The sequences of nonsense DNA that interrupt genes could be far more important to the evolution of genomes than previously thought, according to a recent Science report by Indiana University Bloomington and ...
Researchers examine mechanisms that help cancer cells proliferate
Sep 01, 2009 |
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A process that limits the number of times a cell divides works much differently than had been thought, opening the door to potential new anticancer therapies, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report in the Aug. ...
Synthetic chemical offers solution for crops facing drought
Apr 30, 2009 |
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Crops and other plants are constantly confronted with adverse environmental conditions, lowering yield and costing farmers billions of dollars annually. Plants use specialized signals, called stress hormones, ...
New technique allows scientists to penetrate yeast cells' hard exterior
Sep 03, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- If you want to know how a cell responds to a particular chemical, the experiment is simple: Inject it with that chemical. Micropipettes — tiny needles that can puncture a cell and deliver ...
'Happy hour' gene discovery suggests cancer drugs might treat alcoholism
May 21, 2009 |
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A class of drugs already approved as cancer treatments might also help to beat alcohol addiction. That's the conclusion of a discovery in flies of a gene, dubbed happyhour, that has an important and previously unknown role ...
A budding role for a cellular dynamo
Biology /
Feb 18, 2009 |
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Actin, a globular protein found in all eukaryotic cells, is a workhorse that varies remarkably little from baker's yeast to the human body. Part of the cytoskeleton, actin assembles into networks of filaments that give the ...
The Nobel Prize and Pond Scum as a 'Model' Organism
Oct 15, 2009 |
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A man is a man and a mouse is a mouse, but if you talk to a few biomedical scientists about their research, at least one is likely to spring the term “mouse model” on you.
How mitochondrial gene defects impair respiration, other major life functions
Sep 24, 2009 |
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Researchers are delving into abnormal gene function in mitochondria, structures within cells that power our lives. Mitochondria are the place where energy is generated from the most basic molecules of food. Because this function ...
Sharing the results of research critical to advancement of biological sciences
Sep 09, 2009 |
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Sharing the fruits of research in the biomedical sciences is critical for the advance of knowledge, yet with the advent of large-scale data gathering following the completion of the genome projects this is becoming harder ...
Biologists discover bacterial defense mechanism against aggressive oxygen
Nov 20, 2009 |
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Bacteria possess an ingenious mechanism for preventing oxygen from harming the building blocks of the cell. This is the new finding of a team of biologists that includes Joris Messens of VIB, a life sciences research institute ...
Fruit flies earn no respect, except among scientists
Apr 05, 2009 |
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That annoying kitchen pest, the fruit fly, occupies an honored place in science and medicine, despite slurs from politicians such as Sen. John McCain and his 2008 sidekick, Sarah Palin.
Cohesin jigsaw begins to fit
May 19, 2009 |
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The essential chromosomal protein complex cohesin has crucial roles in sister chromatid cohesion, DNA repair and transcriptional regulation. Despite its conserved function, cohesin's disparate association patterns in different ...
Although our genetics differ significantly, we all look alike
Jan 26, 2009 |
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The genetic variation within a species can be significant, but very little of that variation results in clear differences in morphology or other phenotypes. Much of the diversity remains hidden ‘under the surface’ in buffered ...
How the 100th protein structure solved at Diamond impacts our understanding of how insects smell
Sep 29, 2009 |
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New research announced today, Wednesday 30th September, by a team of leading scientists working with the UK's national Synchrotron, Diamond Light Source, could have a significant impact on the development ...
Biochemists to study how crops can increase protein production
Apr 10, 2009 |
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The small flowering plant Arabidopsis is widely used in laboratories as a model organism in plant biology.
