Category: Uncategorized

HORMONAL TRIGGER. "It is probable that sex in M. annua is brought about by modification of the plant hormone biosynthetic pathways." https://lnkd.in/gb3zS32 View in LinkedIn

STRESS AND SEX SEPARATION. "Stress conditions and consequent resource limitations, such that hermaphrodites were unable to maintain both sex functions, might favour the separation of the sexes or might magnify the effects of inbreeding depression also favouring sex separation." https://lnkd.in/gb3zS32 View in LinkedIn

LABILE SEXUAL IDENTITY. "Some plants, whether basically hermaphroditic, monoecious or dioecious, have extremely labile sex systems. These may be a result of an inability to control sex precisely in a complex environment or because lability confers an adaptive advantage." https://lnkd.in/gb3zS32 View in LinkedIn

ELUSIVE GENE. "The search for the elusive primary sex determining gene will be extremely difficult and will be hampered by the sex differentiation genes acting downstream." https://lnkd.in/gb3zS32 View in LinkedIn

GENE DOUBLING. “The haploid genome size of diecious Asparagus species has been characterized as being nearly double that of hermaphroditic species.” https://lnkd.in/gKA5C8N View in LinkedIn

Alternative US group honouring Paris climate accord demands 'seat at the table' View in LinkedIn

TWO EVENTS. “Phylogenetic analyses suggest that dioecy evolved once or potentially twice within a single clade in the Asparagus phylogeny, coincident with increases in genome size and repetitive DNA content, as well as a range expansion from southern Africa into northern Africa and Europe.” https://lnkd.in/gKA5C8N View in LinkedIn

Scientists replace skin of 'butterfly child' http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/10/health/skin-replacement-transplant-success/index.html View in LinkedIn

ASPARAGUS LANDSCAPE. “The genus Asparagus includes just over 200 species, the vast majority of which are hermaphrodites. Previous work has shown that dioecy arose within a single clade in the Asparagus phylogeny.” https://lnkd.in/gKA5C8N View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS this first weekend on the theme of viral dark matter. Physics is thwarted by the presence of a majority of the physical world being unknown dark matter. So with biology. But in the case of biology, we have adopted an ostrich pose to account for our ignorance, with an early focus only on disease, and a persistent and willful attitude that these are non-living (and thus irrelevant) entities. A few pioneers are trying to pull biologists out of the Dark Ages. View in LinkedIn