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DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

Biologists use eDNA technique to find invasive snails

Invasive species, beware: Your days of hiding may be ending. Biologists led by the University of Iowa discovered the presence of the invasive New Zealand mud snail by detecting their DNA in waters they were inhabiting incognito.

2 Jun 2021

Study examines if myoDN improves myoblast differentiation exacerbated by diabetes

Skeletal muscle makes up 30% to 40% of body weight and serves multiple functions like heat production and energy metabolism.

1 Jun 2021

Researchers develop a new way for pollution remediation

Phosphate pollution in rivers, lakes and other waterways has reached dangerous levels, causing algae blooms that starve fish and aquatic plants of oxygen. Meanwhile, farmers worldwide are coming to terms with a dwindling reserve of phosphate fertilizers that feed half the world's food supply.

1 Jun 2021

New sunscreen is coral-safe and offers higher UVB/UVA protection

According to a new study reported in Nature Scientific Reports, Methylene Blue, a century-old medication, can be a very efficient, broad-spectrum UV irradiation protector that absorbs UVA and UVB, repairs ROS and UV irradiation-induced DNA damage, and is safe for coral reefs.

31 May 2021

New study shows why some children get secondary leukemia after neuroblastoma treatment

Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the University of Cambridge discovered that in children with neuroblastoma—a tumor of immature nerve cells—platinum chemotherapy created mutations in the genome that might lead to leukemia in some children later on.

31 May 2021

“Topologically tunable” DNA-based material has potential applications in drug delivery, tissue regeneration

DNA is usually idealized as the “molecule of life,” but it is also a highly advanced polymer that can be used for cutting-edge materials. Apart from storing information, other interesting aspects of DNA are its topological and geometrical properties, like super-coiling and knotting.

31 May 2021

Researchers discover new genes and functionalities in bovine genome

Modern genetic research often works with what are known as reference genomes. Such a genome comprises data from DNA sequences that scientists have assembled as a representative example of the genetic makeup of a species.

27 May 2021

New plasmofluidic chip could accelerate diagnosis during current and future pandemics

Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been the gold standard for diagnosis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

27 May 2021

Genomic study can reveal adaptive mechanisms of life under future ocean acidification

Human-driven global change is challenging the scientific community to understand how marine species might adapt to predicted environmental conditions in the near-future (e.g. hypoxia, ocean warming, and ocean acidification).

27 May 2021

New software tool detects, evaluates, and quantifies off-target editing activity

CRISPR technology enables researchers to edit genomes by modifying DNA sequences and hence gene function.

27 May 2021

Two components of bacterial CRISPR-Cas immunity system are physically linked

Skoltech scientists have demonstrated that the two components of the bacterial CRISPR-Cas immunity system are physically connected.

27 May 2021

Genetic and molecular mechanisms make chemotherapy drug work for some cancer patients

The chemotherapy drug decitabine is commonly used to treat patients with blood cancers, but its response rate is somewhat low. Researchers have now identified why this is the case, opening the door to more personalized cancer therapies for those with these types of cancers, and perhaps further afield.

25 May 2021

New method helps tests large groups for SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers at the Vienna BioCenter designed a testing protocol for SARS-CoV-2 that can process tens of thousands of samples in less than 48 hours. The method, called SARSeq, is published in the journal Nature Communications and could be adapted to many more pathogens.

25 May 2021

Telomere length decreases most rapidly from birth to age 3, shows study

Telomeres are protective caps on DNA that shorten as we grow older. Now, one of the first studies to examine telomere length (TL) in childhood finds that the initial setting of TL during prenatal development and in the first years of life may determine one's TL throughout childhood and potentially even into adulthood or older age.

25 May 2021

Environmental DNA helps track down species on the move

Many individuals would like to prevent sloughed-off skin and bodily fluids. However, for marine biologists like Cheryl Lewis Ames, Associate Professor of Applied Marine Biology in the Graduate School of Agricultural Science at Tohoku University (Japan), such life remnants have become a magical guide to detecting the unseen.

24 May 2021

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Biologists use eDNA technique to find invasive snails

Study examines if myoDN improves myoblast differentiation exacerbated by diabetes

Researchers develop a new way for pollution remediation

New sunscreen is coral-safe and offers higher UVB/UVA protection

New study shows why some children get secondary leukemia after neuroblastoma treatment

“Topologically tunable” DNA-based material has potential applications in drug delivery, tissue regeneration

Researchers discover new genes and functionalities in bovine genome

New plasmofluidic chip could accelerate diagnosis during current and future pandemics

Genomic study can reveal adaptive mechanisms of life under future ocean acidification

New software tool detects, evaluates, and quantifies off-target editing activity

Two components of bacterial CRISPR-Cas immunity system are physically linked

Genetic and molecular mechanisms make chemotherapy drug work for some cancer patients

New method helps tests large groups for SARS-CoV-2 infection

Telomere length decreases most rapidly from birth to age 3, shows study

Environmental DNA helps track down species on the move

Exposure to chemicals in plastic during the fetal stage is linked with a lower IQ

Study identifies predictive causal role for specific cell types in type 1 diabetes

Study shows that higher treeless areas are home to far more species

Study shows that Bubonic Plague had a long-term impact on immune gene expression

Study identifies DNA alterations that underpin brain and cognitive decline in the elderly

Driving Support for Pharmaceutical Testing Through Continuous Innovation

From Memory to Metaplasticity: Unraveling the Brain's Secrets

Revolutionizing Mass Spectrometry: A Deep Dive into Plasmion’s SICRIT® Technology

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