Polymerase Chain Reaction is widely held as one of the most important inventions of the 20th century in molecular biology. Small amounts of the genetic material can now be amplified in rather simple manner,thanks to Kerry Mullis invention way back in 1983. Cell free DNA amplification can be performed in many different ways ,which can be used for identifying and manipulate DNA, detect infectious organisms, also helps in finding mutations, in human genes and numerous other tasks.
“lets you pick the piece of DNA you’re interested in and have as …

The ostentatious, sometimes bizarre qualities that improve a creature’s chances of finding a mate may also drive the reproductive separation of populations and the evolution of new species, say two Indiana University Bloomington biologists.
In the September 2008 issue of Evolution (now online), Armin Moczek and Harald Parzer examine males from four geographically separated populations of the horned beetle species Onthophagus taurus. The beetles have diverged significantly in the size of the male copulatory organ, and natural selection operating on the other end of the animal — horns atop the beetles’ …

The mother-daughter relationship can be difficult to understand. Why are the two so different? Now a Northwestern University study shows how this happens. In yeast cells, that is.
A research team has discovered a new mechanism for cell fate determination — how one cell, the daughter, becomes dramatically different from the mother, even though they have the same genetic material. The study shows why mothers and daughters differ in how they express their genes.
The results of this research will be published in the Aug. 19 issue of the journal PLoS Biology.

Going …

For Charles Darwin, the problem of the peacock’s tail, in light of his theory of natural selection, was vexing in the extreme.
Indeed, in 1860, writing to Asa Gray, his most ardent American champion, Darwin confessed: “The sight of a feather in a peacock’s tail, whenever I gaze at it, makes me sick!”
In his struggle to explain why such extravagant and seemingly burdensome features existed, the great English naturalist struck upon the idea of sexual selection — that showy traits such as the Peacock’s ornamentation were an advantage in the mating …

Homeodomain containing transcription factors are vital for proper development and differentiation in animals,plants and fungi. This 60 amino acid conserved DNA binding motif is found in six different class of proteins: ANTP, PRD, POU, LIM, SIX and TALE. Huge gene diversity in Antennapedia class of homeodomain proteins account for evolution of body plans,regulation of body axis formation,symmetry and Nervous system.
The ANTP superclass consists of the Hox/ParaHox, extended Hox, and NKL genes (their relatedness complies with the above order). All Bilateria possess Hox/ParaHox,NKL, and extended Hox genes . and many of …

Trichoplax adherens is the only named (other cryptic species may exists) member of the phylum placozoa and arguably the simplest free-living animals on this planet.Trichoplax are soft-bodied, about 0.5 mm across,made up of four kind of cells (resembling somewhat a large amoeba). The name T. adhaerens was given because it tends to stick to its substrate.
Many people ,including me expected things to become lot simpler regarding nature of placozoans ,once the genome is sequenced.But Trichoplax seems to be in no mood to shed the enigmatic tag attached to it at …

The genetic code of a simple saltwater creature could help researchers learn more about how groups of genes function in humans and other species.
A study published this week in the journal Nature breaks down the genetic code of Trichoplax, a simple saltwater creature that one might find anywhere in the world, even in the common household aquarium.
“We’re trying to identify, in the Trichoplax, genes that are also found in other animals ¬– our genome and the fruit fly genome and so on,” said study co-author Nicholas Putnam, an assistant professor …