Decoding the Sea Otter Genome

Decoding the Sea Otter Genome

By chXout Team Comment Closed
Large sea otter populations once ranged from Northern Japan all the way around the Northern Pacific Rim to Baja California. However, in 1741 when the fur trade began, their numbers started to rapidly decline. The pelts of sea otters were so in demand that sea otter populations were driven to near extinction by the end of the 19thcentury. In 1911 sea otters were protected by the International Fur Seal Treaty but for some populations this was already too late. In the Kuril Islands, Kamchatka Peninsula, Aleutian Islands, South-Central Alaska and California the small remaining populations began to grow. Some populations have returned to their historical population sizes but others, such as the population in California, have grown more slowly. Annabel Beichman, a PhD student at UCLA, together with Monterey Bay Aquarium are leading the effort to aid the recovery of the sea otters. They plan the first ever sequencing of the sea otter genome. The extreme decline, to a very small size,...
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DNA analysis joins the fight against seafood fraud

By chXout Team Comment Closed
Fraud is one of the biggest issues in seafood industry. It is thought that up to one quarter of the seafood on the market is not labeled with the correct species ID and behind this also lies the depletion of marine populations, threats to food security and up to $23 billion in economic losses globally each year. DNA and genomics have great potential to improve seafood traceability and therefore protect consumers. Currently, DNA barcoding, the term given to species identification by use of DNA technology is carried out by sequencing a section of the mitochondrial DNA to identify the species and in many cases these data can be used to trace the sample back to the population of origin. Mislabeling usually involves substitution of a cheaper fish with a more expensive one (e.g. pollack for cod, pollack for langoustines in “scampi” or rainbow trout for sea trout). One final possibility that genetic analysis offers the chance to identify traces of DNA from illegally...
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CRISPR editing wild DNA – promise or nightmare?

By chXout Team Comment Closed
Even at our most peaceful time of the day, when we are calm, not moving, in silence, no matter how quiet our body looks, there is something completely different going on inside us. In our body there are thousands of chemical reactions going on, numerous biochemical routes working at the same time and for the most part they are all perfectly balanced. This dynamic equilibrium is our own point in evolution, where we, as an individual or a group, fit into our environment. In every balanced system, affecting one of the components may cause an imbalance that puts at risk the whole group integrity. Of all biomolecules or cell components, DNA is probably the most challenging and interesting from a biological point of view. DNA constitutes the genetic instructions for the development, functioning and reproduction of all known living organisms and therefore genetically determines who or what we are. It is thus with a mixture of trepidation and excitement that the ready availability...
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How genes allowed mammoth survival in the Arctic

By chXout Team Comment Closed
Along evolution, genes mutate to allow adaptation to environmental conditions. Scientists from Penn State University, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and the University of Chicago have recently identified the genetic changes that helped the woolly mammoth survive in the Arctic. Comparing the complete set of genes of the woolly mammoth with their closest living relatives, the Asian elephant and the African elephant, scientists have identified some of the mutations responsible for the adaptation of the extinct wooly mammoth to extreme cold. Interestingly, most of these mutations are in genes involved in hair development, temperature sensing and body fat storage and metabolism, all of them crucial to survive in harsh arctic conditions. One of the most interesting and challenging aspects of this study is that some of the computational predictions were verified by laboratory experiments. For instance, it has been confirmed that a mammoth-specific change in a protein called TRPV3, related to temperature sensation, hair growth, and body-fat storage, modifies the protein's response...
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Giant Hogweed Reminds Us That Not All Plants Are Harmless…

By chXout Team Comment Closed
In the UK we often think of plants as just beautiful scenery, hardly likely to cause any health problems worse than hay fever, but one man has learned the hard way that this isn’t always the case. In the 19th Century, Victorians introduced Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), a plant native to Georgia and the Caucasus mountains in Southern Russia, into their gardens and greenhouses. They had every intention of keeping this plant for personal collections and display, however it didn’t take long for the appropriately-named Herculean species to spread into the countryside. Giant Hogweed sap contains toxic chemicals called photosensitising furanocoumarins. When these chemicals come into contact with skin, they react with direct sunlight causing extreme blistering and, on contact with eyes, blindness. These chemicals prevent the skin from protecting itself against sunlight, leaving the affected area exposed to severe sunburn. Dean Simmons, a horticulturist by trade, had to be treated in hospital after a fishing trip went badly wrong: his leg was exposed...
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Dino reality or just fantasy?

Dino reality or just fantasy?

By chXout Team Comment Closed
Jurassic World has taken the world by storm, breaking all box office records in the process.  But is it actually possible? The reality is that it could be, if (and that is a big if), we had access to dino DNA!  Unfortunately DNA is not stable in an aqueous environment and over a long period of time it degrades. The oldest DNA that has survived is about half a million years old and that comes from microbes. The youngest dinosaurs are from 66 million years ago, so it is most unlikely that we will ever get good DNA. As for splicing from other animals which have perceived characteristics of dinosaurs, then this is also unlikely as we would not know the full spectrum of characteristics to engineer and then gestation may present some additional issues! Mammoth DNA dating from around 25,000 years old is available and attempts are being made to clone this fascinating extinct creature. It may perhaps be easier to make...
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