Articles tagged Genetics Journal
(301 results)

Every scientist is familiar with the p-value: it’s one of the most commonly used metrics in statistics to evaluate the likeliness that an observed relationship is due to chance. Typically, a cutoff is set at p=0.05, such that any p-value of greater than 0.05 means the result is deemed “not statistically significant”—a heartbreaking outcome for…

Mutations that disrupt the gene BRCA2 dramatically increase the odds of developing breast and ovarian cancer—but such mutations aren’t enough to cause cancer on their own. To turn normal cells cancerous, some of BRCA2’s genetic interactors must also mutate. In an article recently published in GENETICS, Ding et al. sought to identify some of these genes.…

Check out the January issue of GENETICS by looking at the highlights or the full table of contents! ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS Improving metabolic health through precision dietetics in mice, pp.399–417 William T. Barrington, Phillip Wulfridge, Ann E. Wells, Carolina Mantilla Rojas, Selene Y. F Howe, Amie Perry, Kunjie Hua, Michael A. Pellizzon, Kasper D. Hansen, Brynn H. Voy, Brian J. Bennett, Daniel…

The prolonged and severe seizures suffered by those with pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy (PDE) can lead to brain dysfunction and death if not treated. Standard antiepileptic drugs are typically ineffective for people with this rare genetic disorder—instead, they need high doses of vitamin B6 in the form of pyridoxine or pyridoxal 5′-phosphate. But even with this supplementation,…

Choosing a mate is hardly random. During courtship in the diploid phase of our life cycle, we often employ elaborate rituals and biological signals to attract and assess potential mates. But after that, we usually assume that eggs and sperm choose each other randomly at fertilization. Or so says Mendel’s First Law. But sometimes, Joseph…

Check out the December issue of GENETICS by looking at the highlights or the full table of contents! ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS Gene Conversion Facilitates Adaptive Evolution on Rugged Fitness Landscapes, pp. 1577–1589 Philip Bittihn and Lev S. Tsimring An important question in evolutionary theory is how adaptation might be hindered on a rugged fitness landscape in the presence of strong selection that…

When you catch a nasty cold, curling up in bed to sleep may be the only activity you can manage. Sleeping in response to stress isn’t a uniquely human behavior: many other animals have the same reaction, and it’s not clear why. While the circadian sleep that follows the pattern of the clock has been…

Check out the November issue of GENETICS by looking at the highlights or the full table of contents! ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS Ethanol stimulates locomotion via a Gas-signalling pathway in IL2 neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans, pp. 1023–1039 James R. Johnson, Mark R. Edwards, Huw Davies, Daniel Newman, Whitney Holden, Rosalind E. Jenkins, Robert D. Burgoyne, Robert J. Lucas, and Jeff W. Barclay Alcohol…

Check out the October issue of GENETICS by looking at the highlights or the full table of contents! ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS Rhythmic behavior is controlled by the SRm160 splicing factor in Drosophila melanogaster, pp. 593–607 Esteban J. Beckwith, Carlos E. Hernando, Sofía Polcowñuk, Agustina P. Bertolin, Estefania Mancini, M. Fernanda Ceriani, and Marcelo J. Yanovsky Animals have evolved neural circuits that allow…

The unassuming fruit fly has paved the way for another big scientific win: on October 2nd, the Nobel Assembly awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young for their discoveries of the molecular mechanisms behind circadian rhythms. These biologists have spent their careers studying…

It’s surprisingly common for babies to be born missing one or both kidneys; an estimated one in one thousand babies are born with a single kidney. Called renal agenesis, this condition is fatal if both kidneys are missing, and having just one can also lead to serious health problems like hypertension and early renal failure.…