DNA News and Research

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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).

Building blocks of DNA and RNA could have co-existed in the primordial Earth

Scientists have long debated which genetic information carrier - DNA or RNA - started life on Earth, but a new study suggests life could have begun with a bit of both.

4 Jun 2020

Researchers evaluate long-term impact of bighorn sheep translocations

Translocation is an important management tool used for nearly 100 years to increase bighorn sheep population numbers in Wyoming and to restore herds to suitable habitat throughout their historical range. Y

4 Jun 2020

Review reveals exceptions to the purported rules of sex chromosome evolution theory

For nearly a century, biologists have modeled the evolution of sex chromosomes--the genetic instructions that primarily determine whether an individual will develop into a male or female (or a certain mating type)--resulting in an impressive theoretical framework.

4 Jun 2020

Researchers unravel mechanisms behind organ-specific elimination of chromosomes in plants

Whilst we often think of somatic cells in an organism as containing the same DNA and therefore the same number of chromosomes, it is surprising, how often this is not the case.

3 Jun 2020

Scientists decode ancient DNA extracted from Dead Sea Scrolls

An interdisciplinary team from Tel Aviv University, led by Prof. Oded Rechavi of TAU's George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Prof. Noam Mizrahi of TAU's Department of Biblical Studies, in collaboration with Prof. Mattias Jakobsson of Uppsala University in Sweden, the Israel Antiquities Authority and Prof. Christopher E. Mason of Weill Cornell Medicine, has successfully decoded ancient DNA extracted from the animal skins on which the Dead Sea Scrolls were written.

3 Jun 2020

Study sheds light on the complexity of HIV-1 nuclear entry

The process of cells being infected by HIV-1 strains is widely known to undergo many stages.

2 Jun 2020

Study demonstrates the role of p53 gene in cell cycle regulation and apoptosis

The p53 gene is crucial in cell biology and thus cell replacement therapy. The function of this gene is to control the cell cycle and stop tumor formation.

2 Jun 2020

Study reveals forces that control tissue flow in Drosophila embryo

During the development of embryos, tissues flow and reorganize significantly on timescales within minutes.

2 Jun 2020

Recombineering technique may overcome barriers in bacterial engineering

Genetic engineering of bacteria has transformed contemporary medicine, from bacterial-based insulin to a deeper insight into infectious diseases.

From Harvard Medical School 1 Jun 2020

Study reveals a new method for efficient production of proteins

Researchers have studied over 30,000 variants of genetic sequences to determine which traits of mRNA can enhance translational efficiency.

1 Jun 2020

Sheep poo could hold the key to developing new antiparasitics

Sheep poo could hold the key to developing the next generation of antiparasitic treatments that could protect Australian livestock and save the industry millions of dollars a year.

29 May 2020

New insights into recombination of sex chromosomes during meiosis

As chromosomes go, X and Y make an unlikely pair. The X is large and contains thousands of genes critical for life.

29 May 2020

gnomAD Consortium releases first set of discoveries on human genetic variation

For the last eight years, the Genome Aggregation Database Consortium (and its predecessor, the Exome Aggregation Consortium, or ExAC), has been working with geneticists around the world to compile and study more than 125,000 exomes and 15,000 whole genomes from populations around the world.

29 May 2020

Chicken cells show promise for producing more effective human antibodies

Antibodies meant for potential drug applications can be produced quickly in chicken cells cultured in laboratories.

29 May 2020

New CRISPR-Cas9 based method for directed protein evolution

"Directed evolution" is the process by which scientists produce tailor-made proteins for cell biology, physiology and biomedicine in the laboratory.

28 May 2020

Study shows how ocean virus captures the metabolism of carbon-storing bacteria

Below the surface of the ocean, a virus is stealing the metabolism of the most abundant organism present on Earth. That might be attractive to those who breathe above the ocean’s surface.

28 May 2020

Using CRISPR/Cas molecular scissors to recombine entire chromosomes

The CRISPR/Cas molecular scissors work like a fine surgical instrument and can be used to modify genetic information in plants.

27 May 2020

New minimally invasive method allows cells to be sampled over time

At any given moment, a variety of dynamic processes occur inside a cell, with many developing over time. Because current research methods for gene profiling or protein analysis destroy the cell, study is confined to just that one moment in time, and researchers are unable to return to the cell to examine how things change beyond that snapshot.

27 May 2020

Mechanically rejuvenated fibroblasts show promise in stem cell engineering

Fibroblasts synthesize the collagen, creating the structural framework for animal tissues, and play a significant role in the process of wound healing.

27 May 2020

New sequencing method helps map the spatial arrangement of DNA

A sequencing technique helps to map the spatial arrangement of DNA in the cell nucleus, revealing which regions of the genome are at greater risk of mutation.

27 May 2020