New hepatitis virus or glassware contaminant?
27 September, 2013The sensitivity of next-generation sequencing can be fantastic and also problematic as the system can easily pick up contaminants and lead researchers into false conclusions.
Insect resistance and transgenic crops
23 September, 2013Many transgenic crops synthesise their own pesticides, usually a toxic protein is synthesised in stems and leaves. Pests attempting to eat the crop are killed while those not attacking the crop are completely unaffected. A pretty nifty solution but now examples are emerging of pests developing resistance to the toxin as a dominant trait.
Genes are linked to handedness
18 September, 2013A genetic study - carried out by scientists at the Universities of Oxford, St Andrews and Bristol and the Max Plank Institute for Psycholinguistics - has identified a biological process that influences whether we are right- or left-handed.
Link found between sugary drinks, gene variant and gout
13 September, 2013University of Otago and Auckland scientists have discovered a human gene variant that can 'turn bad' when affected by sugary drinks. This raises the risk of developing the arthritic disease gout.
Major genetic breakthrough in understanding schizophrenia
05 September, 2013An international consortium of scientists, including researchers from the University of Western Australia (UWA), has made a major breakthrough in understanding the genetic basis of schizophrenia - a complex mental disorder which affects about 1% of people over their lifetime.
Uncovering the best cab sav clones
30 August, 2013The local wine industry and consumers will both benefit following research to identify differences in the top cabernet sauvignon grape clones.
Life Technologies Ion Reporter Software CNV data analysis workflow
30 August, 2013Life Technologies Corporation has announced an end-to-end sequencing solution for exon-level copy number variation (CNV) analysis, which combines the Ion Reporter CNV data analysis workflow, the Ion AmpliSeq Exome Kit and the Ion Proton System.
Why taller people are smarter
29 August, 2013It hardly seems fair but people who are attractive because of one trait tend to have other attractive traits as well.
SLIRP gene affects male fertility
19 August, 2013Researchers have found that the SLIRP gene - discovered at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) and known to affect hormone action in breast and prostate cancer cells - has an impact on male fertility.
Genes, male beauty and attractiveness to the other gender
19 August, 2013It’s a simple fact: some individuals are more attractive to the opposite sex than others. But what makes them more desirable?
Why one person’s mutation kills when the same mutation in someone else is benign
02 August, 2013Scientists have begun to understand how the rest of the genome interacts with mutations, explaining why not everyone with identical genetic mutations develops a disease.
GeneCopoeia Genome-TALER Human AAVS1 Safe Harbor Knock-in ORF Clones
31 July, 2013Genome-TALER Human AAVS1 Safe Harbor Knock-in ORF Clones from GeneCopoeia are constructed for specifically transferring the ORF of interest from a donor plasmid into the AAVS1 safe harbour site in human chromosome 19 using the Genome-TALER Human AAVS1 Safe Harbor Gene Knock-in Kit.
Evolution is a group effort
29 July, 2013Researchers have found that rather than just one mutation causing enhanced survival, about five to seven mutations are required. These extra mutations are termed ‘genetic hitchhikers’ because they don’t appear to contribute to the enhanced fitness of the organism.
Using sequencing to identify pathogens quickly
12 July, 2013A method has been developed that can rapidly identify pathogenic species and strains causing illnesses, such as pneumonia. This could help lead to earlier detection of disease outbreaks and pinpoint effective treatments more quickly.
Life Technologies Ion AmpliSeq Exome Kit
10 July, 2013Life Technologies’ Ion AmpliSeq Exome Kit delivers very good exome sequencing performance, with up to 98% of bases covered at 10x, and up to 96% of bases covered at 20x, for a single exome.
