Behind the Paper
The real stories behind the latest research papers, from conception to publication, the highs and the lows
Using degenerating genes to understand the evolution of rare intact genes across bacteria
An overview and broader look at the paper "Pseudogenes act as a neutral reference for detecting selection in prokaryotic pangenomes" published in Nature Ecology & Evolution (2024).
Blog post authors: Gavin M. Douglas and B. Jesse Shapiro
Differences in rectal amino acid levels determine bacteria-originated sex pheromone specificity in two closely related flies
Bactrocera dorsalis is a notorious invasive species. Along with it, its "cousin" Bactrocera cucurbitae, has a similar morphological and sexual pheromone composition. So, why they can avoid mating with their "cousins"? Amino acid， glucose，bacteria，which is the decisive factor?
Unsung Trailblazers: Illuminating the Long Shadow of Racial and Gender Biases on Minority Female Leadership
In the recent Scientific Reports paper, we investigate two centuries of enduring intersectional challenges and biases faced by Black female leaders. Through an extensive behavioural data science analysis, we reveal fresh perspectives on barriers impeding the progress of minority female leadership.
UBS-seq: An ultrafast bisulfite sequencing method more accurately detecting 5-methylcytosine in DNA and RNA
Current bisulfite sequencing (BS-seq) suffers from notable limitations such as long reaction time, severe DNA damage, overestimation of modification level etc. UBS-seq overcomes these limitations and detects 5-methylcytosine in DNA and RNA accurately starting from low input biological samples.
