When a young gene known as sphinx is inactivated in the common fruit fly, it leads to increased male-male courtship, scientists report in the May 27, 2008, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. High levels of male-male courtship are widespread in many fly species, but not in Drosophila melanogaster, the tiny insect that has ...

''Can we create new life out of our digital universe?'' asks Craig Venter. And his answer is, yes, and pretty soon. He walks the TED2008 audience through his latest research into ''fourth-generation fuels'' -- biologically created fuels with CO2 as their feedstock. His talk covers the details of creating brand-new chromosomes using digital ...

Today, scientists are using the RNAi mechanism to learn more about what particular genes do and how to alter their function. Determining gene function is a relatively simple matter of inserting double-stranded RNA molecules that have a particular sequence into cells and observing the effects after RNAi silences the corresponding ...

By popular demand, here is the full updated documentary ''Ghost in your Genes'', aired on PBS's NOVA program on October 16, 2007.

This video discusses some strange facts about DNA, genes, genetics and the human genome. How large is the human genome? How does the human genome compare to a PlayStation 3. Is there such a thing as a gay gene? How are the different human races different genetically? Are mental disorders causes by genetics? How large is the human ...

DNA is a programming language for living cells. The cell's basic operating system, or genome, directs functions like growth and reproduction, energy utilization, and the production of useful compounds like ethanol or penicillin. With genetic engineering, new functions can be added to cells or broken metabolic pathways repaired. Until recently, ...

What if plants could grow with less water, in poor soil, using less fertilizer or toxic chemical pesticides to produce food for a hungry world? Or what if plants could remove toxic substances from the environment? UCSD plant biologist Julian Schroeder takes you on an exploration of how genetic modification of plants may be able to achieve ...