On The Radar

The pick of the science news

Mum’s genes are first among mice and men

Several maternally-inherited versions of genes are preferentially expressed in the brain in early life, while the genetic material that came from Dad is more active later on – in mice at least.

The study, published online in Science,identified around 1,300 genes active in the mouse brain that undergo such "genomic imprinting", and it's a big step up from the previous tally of about 100 genes that were recognised to do this.

“Our work shows that parental bias in gene expression is a major mode of genetic regulation in the brain,” said study leader Catherine Dulac from Harvard University.

It’s the escape of the century as plant goes through the roof

A specimen of the so-called “century plant” (

Agave americana

) is making a bid for freedom – or at least fresh air – at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew in London. “The specimen currently flowering in the Princess of Wales Conservatory was planted about 15 years ago and its flower stalk has now burst through the top of the conservatory roof. Vents have been opened and a pane of glass removed to allow it to escape, and it is sure to cause comment in the coming weeks,” states the gardens’ website.

“The reason the plant was not cut is that it will flower first and once the flowering process is complete it will be cut back,” says a Kew spokesperson

It’s the escape of the century as plant goes through the roof

“If we are still finding new species of fishes in the Gulf, imagine how much diversity – especially microdiversity – is out there that we do not know about. These discoveries underscore the potential loss of undocumented biodiversity that a disaster of this scale may portend.

John Sparks from the American Museum of Natural History, co-author on a study in the Journal of Fish Biology that identified a new species of pancake batfish (pictured) in areas hit by theDeepwater Horizon catastrophe.