The Human Dynasty

(American Society of Plant Biologists) Dr. Erik Vollbrecht and his colleagues, Xiang Yang, Brandi Sigmon, Erica Unger-Wallace, and Zhuying Li, have studied mutations of some of the genes related to ear formation, among them, RAMOSA 1-3, which helped to transform the tiny teosinte ear with only 5-12 kernels into the large, massive corn cob we eat today.

(Pyrrhic House) The pattern recognition theory of humor is an evolutionary and cognitive explanation of how and why any individual finds anything funny. Effectively it explains that humor occurs when the brain recognizes a pattern that surprises it. It also identifies implications of pattern recognition in childhood cognitive development, other species and artificial intelligence, and posits humor as a major driving force in the evolution of humankind’s unique perceptual and intellectual abilities.

A new study may reveal a genetic reason for why people with Fragile X syndrome and autism have trouble sleeping.

Viruses can travel around cells they infect by hitching a ride on a microscopic transport system, according to new research. Cells are exposed to foreign DNA and RNA and it is understood that some of this genetic material can be integrated into the host genome. Using modern microscopic techniques, scientists have been able to see how virus DNA is transported in the cell.

(University of California – Santa Barbara) Top scientists will present the current the state of research on stem cells at a UC Santa Barbara-sponsored town hall meeting July 18 from 2-4 p.m. in the Hatlen Theater.

Scientists have developed a mathematical model to describe interactions that occur within genetic networks of an embryo, answering the age-old question of how half embryos are able to maintain their tissues and organs in the correct proportions despite being smaller than a normal sized embryo. Understanding the processes that govern embryonic cell development, may lead, in the future, to scientists being able to repair injured tissues.

Lack of both the fragile X syndrome gene and one that is related could account for sleep problems associated with the disorder, which is the common cause of inherited mental impairment.

Like the masterless samurai for whom it is named, the protein Ronin chooses an independent path, maintaining embryonic stem cells in their undifferentiated state and playing essential roles in genesis of embryos and their development, said researchers who reported on this novel cellular regulator in the journal Cell.

(The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) Research that has yielded success in controlling certain errors in gene expression as a safer and more effective alternative to conventional drugs has won for Prof. Hermona Soreq, dean of the faculty of science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, one of this year’s Kaye Innovation Awards.

(Weizmann Institute of Science) Weizmann Institute scientist Prof. Naama Barkai and her colleagues have developed a mathematical model to describe interactions that occur within genetic networks of an embryo, answering the age-old question of how half embryos are able to maintain their tissues and organs in the correct proportions despite being smaller than a normal sized embryo. Understanding the processes that govern embryonic cell development, may lead, in the future, to scientists being able to repair injured tissues.