Posts Tagged genetics

The findings shed light on the important role that microbial genes, like those from viruses, can play in insect and animal evolution.

The short answer is “yes,” according a new study from researchers in Rochester, Amsterdam and Wales, who set out to discover whether more information about genetically modified foods could change consumers’ attitudes.

Rochester biologist Amanda Larracuente and her colleagues have successfully sequenced one of the most repetitive parts of fruit fly genome, unlocking one of the “last frontiers of genome assembly.”

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or brewer’s yeast, has been used to make beer for thousands of years. To reconstruct the history of modern ale strains, Rochester biologist Justin Fay and his colleagues sequenced the genome of modern brewer’s yeast.

Research from Rochester biologists shows that a class of genomic parasites may cause more harm than previously thought, triggering inflammation that causes age-related diseases.

The Y chromosome is one piece of the genetic puzzle that is notoriously difficult to sequence. Rochester biologists are finding new insights into the processes that shape the Y chromosome.

New Rochester research points to the presence of “selfish genes,” whose flow among species may dictate whether two species converge or diverge.

Some species have evolved to display far more genetic crossover than others—and scientists have discovered a gene in fruit flies that is responsible for the evolution of these recombination rates.

The common fruit fly is often deemed an annoying household pest. But these tiny insects are a boon to researchers. Rochester biologist John Jaenike has co-authored the first comprehensive guide to fruit flies published in nearly a century.

“Fireflies only tend to be out during the summer months in Rochester,” says assistant professor of biology Amanda Larracuente. “The end of summer is when we’re frantic about getting all our work done.” Her team is now the first to successfully sequence the firefly genome.