An investigation led by the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) has discovered one more of the genes involved in the alteration of neuronal development that causes schizophrenia. It is the Erbb4 gene, whose function is to slow down the synaptic activity of the brain to avoid overstimulation that gives rise to this cognitive deficit characterized by delusions, hallucinations and inconsistencies in speech.
A new genetic study has identified the genes involved in the biological process that determines whether we are left-handed or right-handed. Specifically, British and Dutch scientists have found a relationship with the laterality of the hand and a network of genes involved in the moment when the embryo stops being a ball of cells and becomes an organism with a differentiation between the right side. (dominant in 90% of humans) and the left, which is also manifested in a difference between the cerebral hemispheres.
In people with Down syndrome, the pair of chromosomes number 21 is repeated forming a trio and causing an intellectual disability that affects one in every 700 children born. Now, thanks to genetic engineering, scientists have managed to deactivate the extra gene in stem cells, which could open the doors of new treatments.
The FTO gene has been giving work for years to researchers trying to discover the reasons why we gain weight. Its link with obesity has been known for months, but now scientists have taken a further step in understanding how it causes weight gain in people who have it "activated."
The journal 'Nature Genetics' publishes this week the genome sequencing of a female duck. The work, led by the University of Pekin (China), identifies the genetic factors that influence the response of waterfowl to infection with avian influenza subtype H5N1, which has contributed to creating widespread outbreaks in poultry. The duck's immune system allows it to be infected with bird flu and to remain in many cases asymptomatic.
In the last 37 years, temperatures have risen, and these changes have had an effect on the composition of the Drosophila subsurface fly, one of the most common on the European continent. These are the conclusions of a study carried out by researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, who have analyzed the evolution of the genome of this species since 1976.
If they have to choose between biting a person or sucking the blood of another vertebrate, female mosquitoes always prefer humans, according to a study published in Nature. These insects, which detect their prey by the CO2 produced in their breath, body heat and odor, possess a gene called 'orc' that is responsible for both the predilection for human odor and the repulsion caused by mosquitoes. with DEET.
The surface of our body contains a multitude of ideal environments for the growth of various species of microorganisms that play a fundamental role in our health. Now, a team of scientists from the National Human Genome Research Institute and the National Cancer Institute (USA) has drawn up the first map of the fungi that inhabit our skin.
Danni Büchner is invited to Sam Dylan's Halloween party. But the "Goodbye Germany" emigrant has no desire for many other party guests. And find clear words.
