In a story online today, I describe how a team led by Stanford's Carlos Bustamante, PhD, and Sean Myles, PhD, discovered that the gene for blond …
Tag: research
Shrugging off bugs: there's more to beating infections than just fighting them
David Schneider, PhD, has used used two kinds of bugs (fruit flies and bacteria) to great effect, teasing out intriguing insights into the effects of sleep and caloric …
Our species' twisted family tree
In second grade I got influenza and was bedridden for a week. On the advice of Mrs. Pils, our school librarian, my mom brought home a …
Why a scientific theory isn't barroom speculation
I quite like this post by Keith Humphreys, PhD, about the theory of evolution today on The Reality-Based Community: Conservative candidates are now routinely asked …
Roots of disease may vary with ancestry, according to Stanford geneticist
In case you missed it, Stanford geneticist and MacArthur fellow Carlos Bustamante, PhD, is quoted in yesterday's New York Times regarding his work on understanding …
Study hints at benefits of weight-loss surgery for less obese patients
There's more news from the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery: In a Stanford study of 981 gastric bypass surgery …
New job description for RNA, oldest professional biomolecule
Ever have the sensation that your brain cells were suddenly turning into fat cells? Yeah, sure, but it never really happens. And why not? After …
Kumbaya moment for metazoans
What do all multi-celled creatures have in common? A lot, according to a study in the March 10 issue of Science, co-authored by Stanford graduate …
Hey guys, sometimes less really is more
Developmental biologists David Kingsley, PhD, and Gill Bejerano, , PhD, have published some very interesting research (subscription required) in today's issue of Nature showing that …
Viruses can cause warts on your DNA
Just when we're getting over our discomfort with the notion that there are ten bacterial cells in your body for every one of your own, …
Why study evolution?
I worried after my post yesterday that I didn't do enough to explain why we should care about the evolution of the threespine stickleback. As …
Tickled by stickle(backs)
One downside of our office's mandatory winter break is the fact that it's just not possible to give all the cool research coming out around …
Book of beautiful specimens illustrates evolution
Before Darwin was a writer, he was a natural historian and collector aboard a ship launched from England to chart the coast of South America. …