Many SNPs make up heritability
21 June, 2010 by Tim DeanThe Human Genome Project was supposed to shine a light on the phenomenon of heritability, illuminating how certain complex traits are passed down from parent to offspring.
BRCA1 gene patent challenged in Australian court
08 June, 2010 by Tim DeanA consortium has launched legal action against four biotechnology companies, including Genetic Technologies (GTG), challenging the validity of patents concerning genetic material.
Full bacterial genome assembly on the desktop with Geneious Pro 5.0
08 June, 2010 by Staff WritersNew Zealand science software specialists Biomatters has released the latest version of its Geneious Pro sequence analysis software, which it says will allow users to achieve the full bacterial genome assembly for data from a range of leading sequencers using just a desktop computer.
View of the genome shows large-scale variations
01 June, 2010 by Staff WritersGenetic abnormalities are most often discussed in terms of single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs (pronounced "snips"), which are changes in a single unit along the 3 billion nucleotides that make up the entire string of human DNA.
Future of computing may lie in organic molecules
01 June, 2010 by PC World StaffMicroprocessors today are made from silicon, but future generations of computers may draw on the lessons of biology and even feature organic components.
It's alive! The significance of artificial life
21 May, 2010 by Tim DeanIt's here at last: synthetic life. Or, at least, self-replicating life based on a synthetic DNA sequence that mimics one from nature.
Genes, disease and the mystery of the missing heritability
19 May, 2010 by Tim DeanWhen the full human genome was brought into the full light of day through the Human Genome Project, it was thought we could begin the task of uncovering the genetic bases of various diseases.
Feature: Epigenetics key to human evolution
18 May, 2010 by Graeme O'NeillEvolutionary biology has long focused its attention on protein-coding genes. But it's the vast regulatory networks of RNA - once thought of as "junk DNA" - that are the major driving force behind human evolution.
Illumina launches dual microarray and next generation genome sequencer
28 April, 2010 by Staff WritersPurchasing a microarray or next generation sequencers is no small investment. Now Illumina is hedging its bet by providing a single unit that incorporates both technologies, the HiScanSQ.
Human genome needs fixing
21 April, 2010 by Staff WritersResearchers have discovered 2,363 new DNA sequences corresponding to 730 regions on the human genome that were not charted in the reference map produced to date.
Have your family's genome sequenced; the Wests did it
19 April, 2010 by Tim DeanIt would have been an inconceivable venture only a decade ago, before even the first full human genome had been published. But now a family of four has paid close to $US200,000 to sequencing company, Illumina, have their full genomes sequenced.
New insight sheds light on mitochondrial disorders
16 April, 2010 by Staff WritersIn a paper published in the April 16 issue of the journal Cell, a team of researchers, led by scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), have taken steps toward a fuller understanding of this process by revealing just what happens to the organelle, its DNA (mtDNA), and its energy-producing ability when mitochondrial fusion fails.
Daunting challenges ahead for genetics: J. Craig Venter
07 April, 2010 by Tim Dean10 years on from the Human Genome Project challenges remain in linking genotypes to phenotypes and in data quality.
Songbird genome gives insight into memory and speech
01 April, 2010 by Tim DeanThe genome of the zebra finch is helping us understand how we learn how to speak.
Doublesex gene makes men behave like men
22 March, 2010 by Staff WritersThe 'doublesex' gene shapes brain, body and behaviour, at least when it comes to fruit flies.
