#genome science

[markscherz]

You might know this tiny frog.

This is Mini mum (photo by Andolalao Rakotoarison), a species I had the pleasure to name—together with a team of amazing colleagues—back in 2019.

That was the start of a fascination with the process and consequences of miniaturisation for vertebrates. How the hell does this tiny frog manage to fit all of its vital organs—more or less all the same senses and organs that we have—into a package the size of a tic-tac‽ Why and how has it evolved to be so small? And why don't we get frogs that are much smaller?

Well, I just secured 1.5 MILLION Euros (!!!) in the form of a European Research Commission Starting Grant, to answer these and other related questions in the genomes of Mini frogs and other miniaturised vertebrates.

Because it turns out, there are *lots* of miniaturised vertebrates, and they push the boundaries of how small we think it is possible for a vertebrate to be! Here is a little graphic of some of them, scaled to a BIC ballpoint pen.

The project is called GEMINI: The Genomics of Miniaturisation in Vertebrates! You can read more about it on my website here, and in the press release, here!

[herpsandbirds]

Largest animal genome sequenced — and just 1 chromosome is the size of the entire human genome

Scientists sequenced the largest known animal genome in a species of lungfish — ancient fish that breathe air.

Scientists have sequenced the largest known animal genome — and it's 30 times bigger than the human genome. The genome belongs to the South American lungfish (Lepidosiren paradoxa), a primeval, air-breathing fish that "hops" onto land from the water using weird, limb-like fins. The fish's DNA code expanded dramatically over the past 100 million years of evolutionary history, racking up the equivalent of one human genome every 10 million years, researchers found. The findings could shed light on how genomes expand across the tree of life...

Read more: Largest animal genome sequenced — and just 1 chromosome is the size of the entire human genome | Live Science

[mindblowingscience]

A small, seemingly unremarkable fern that only grows on a remote Pacific island was on Friday crowned the Guinness World Record holder for having the largest genome of any organism on Earth. The New Caledonian fern, Tmesipteris oblanceolata, has more than 50 times more DNA packed into the nucleus of its cells than humans do. If the DNA from one of the fern's cells -- which are just a fraction of a millimeter wide -- were unraveled, it would stretch out to 106 meters (350 feet), scientists said in a new study. Stood upright, the DNA would be taller than the tower that holds London's famous Big Ben bell. The fern's genome weighed in at a whopping 160 gigabase pairs (Gbp), the measurement for DNA length. That is seven percent larger than the previous record holder, the Japanese flowering plant Paris japonica.

Continue Reading.

[amnhnyc]

Gerstner Postdoctoral Fellow Daniel Hooper (@danielmhooper) studies the genetics of color evolution in Australian finches at the Museum. He recently published a study on the genetics of color variation in Long-tailed Finches and shares his findings on why some of these finches have red beaks, while others have yellow or orange beaks. This research, recently published in Current Biology, was all catch and release.

Fieldwork photos courtesy of Daniel Hooper, Geoffrey Giller, and Simon Griffith.

[yodaprod]

Baby Blue a prototype automated thermal cycler for PCR (1986)

[cbirt]

When compared to other mental conditions, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has a lower discoverability rate. A meta-analysis encompassing many ancestries, including European, African, and Native American, revealed 95 relevant sites across the genome and 43 putative causative genes. These genes are categorized as developmental factors, immunological or endocrine regulators, neurotransmitter and ion channel synaptic modulators, and synaptic structure and function genes. These findings expand on our knowledge of the neural pathways pertinent to the pathophysiology of PTSD and provide new avenues for research, all of which contribute to a better understanding of the disorder.

After exposure to a traumatic event, some people may experience chronic symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, which include intrusive thoughts, hyperarousal, avoidance, and unfavorable changes in mood and cognition. The prevalence of PTSD among individuals who have experienced trauma is 5.6% globally; rates are higher in those who have experienced severe levels of trauma and specific forms of trauma, such as survivors of assault and combat. For many, PTSD is a chronic illness that has a significant negative impact on both the individual’s quality of life and the economy of the community.

Continue Reading

[lemongogo]

college … wasted on the youth (me)

[fleshwizard]

Gallbladder (buds and gallstones)

Examples of gallstones under the cut, based on observation :

Gallbladders are my favorite organs to dissect because you'll v-never know what you will find when you open it (and i've put the wrong color for the biggest gallstone oops)

[thepastisalreadywritten]

[nonbinary-potatoes]

sorry to put this on ur dash

you should help me with my research paper...

"why?" you may be asking...

plsplsplsplsplsplsplsplspls 🥺

this is the link, any answers are greatly appreciated

[sleepysera]

"This naturally leads to the original question: Can we resurrect the dinosaurs? In a word, perhaps no. A Jurassic Park depends on being able to retrieve the intact DNA of a life-form that died out more than 65 million years ago, and this may be impossible. Although soft tissue has been found within the thigh bones of dinosaur fossils, so far no DNA has been extracted in this way, only proteins. Although these proteins have chemically proven the close relationship between the Tyrannosaurus rex and the frog and chicken, this is a far cry from being able to reclaim the genome of the dinosaur."

-Michio Kaku, Physics of the Future (2011)

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

"No one is in charge. And honestly, that makes it even cooler." -- Adam Savage

"The idea of an ordered and elegant universe is a lovely one. One worth clinging to. But you don’t need religion to appreciate the ordered existence. It’s not just an idea, it’s reality. We’re discovering the hidden orders of the universe every day. The inverse square law of gravitation is amazing. Fractals, the theory of relativity, the genome: these are magnificently beautiful constructs." -- Adam Savage

[megumi-fm]

inside you there are two wolves. the science enthusiast wolf is beyond overeager and wants to pick every elective on the course list. the perpetually burnt out wolf is begging you to choose the minimum number of credits needed to graduate.

[mindblowingscience]

The longest genome of all the animals on Earth belongs not to a giant, or a cognitively advanced critter, but a writhing, water-dwelling creature seemingly frozen in time, right at the cusp of evolving into a beast that can live on land. These are the lungfish, a class of freshwater vertebrates whose peculiar characteristics are reflected in a colossal genetic code. Able to breathe both air and water, with limb-like fins, and a well-developed skeletal architecture, these strange ancient creatures are thought to is thought to share a common ancestor with all four-limbed vertebrates known as tetrapods.

Continue Reading.

[things-ford-pines-missed]

ford missed the human genome project!

Thing Ford Missed #169: The Human Genome Project

[dailycupofcreativitea]

This is a shameless pitch for my field of work but if you like biology and you like coding...consider bioinformatics as a career  👀  Especially if you live in the US, as it's well-known for its bionformatics scene.