Sophisticated gene memory: Researchers develop new method to genetically compare hundreds of animal species

02-May-2023 - Thanks to great technological advances, the genetic material of living beings can now be sequenced at a rapid rate. Comparisons of genomes, whether of closely related or completely different species, reveal particularly interesting findings. In this way, information can be obtained on ...

Genome of the pygmy right whale holds great potential for cancer research

The genome of the smallest baleen whale provides insight into evolution and tumor resistance

24-Apr-2023 - The pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata) is the smallest of all baleen whales although it can grow to six metres in length and weigh up to three tons. The species occurs circumpolar in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Hemisphere, and only a handful of sightings have been reported thus far. ...

Genomics for biodiversity conservation

Genomic analyses provide important insights for conservation management

28-Feb-2023 - Conserving nature’s biodiversity is one of the great challenges of our time. To develop strategies and effective measures, well-founded scientific analyses, and concrete information for the actors in nature conservation are needed. The field of biodiversity genomics can make an important ...

Molecular archeology: 1200-year-old DNA sequences from Madagascar lead to the discovery of an extinct tortoise

Genetic analyses reveal the lost world of giant tortoises in the western Indian Ocean

13-Jan-2023 - An international research team led by Senckenberg scientist Uwe Fritz has succeeded in sequencing the genetic material of up to 1200-year-old tortoise finds from the western Indian Ocean. This led to the discovery of a tortoise species from Madagascar that went extinct in the Middle Ages and ...

New test to better assess environmental impact of substances

Researchers developed a test that investigates whether substances can cause inheritable changes in the genome of multicellular organisms such as insects

24-Nov-2020 - Researchers of the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre and the LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics hope to increase the reliability of environmental impact tests of substances. To this end, they developed a test that investigates whether substances can cause ...

A Small Piece Of Jurassic Park

DNA extracted from insects embedded in resin

01-Oct-2020 - For the first time, Senckenberg scientist Mónica Solórzano-Kraemer, together with lead authors David Peris and Kathrin Janssen of the University of Bonn and additional colleagues from Spain and Norway, successfully extracted genetic material from insects that were embedded in six- and ...

A bucket full of genes: pond water reveals tropical frogs

30-Aug-2018 - When a frog jumps into a pond, it inevitably leaves behind traces of its genetic material. Using water samples from the Bolivian lowlands, Senckenberg scientists were now able to demonstrate that the analysis of this so-called environmental DNA allows the reliable identification of the frog ...