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‘Rescue’ Mutations Protect Liver From Damage in Patients With Genetic Disorder

Acquired DNA mutations found in the SERPINA1 gene can protect liver cells from damage in patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, new research shows.

11 Mar 2025

Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria Play Key Role in Global Carbon Breakdown

Sulfate-reducing bacteria break down a large proportion of the organic carbon in oxygen-free zones of the Earth, and in the seabed in particular.

10 Mar 2025

Rare ITSN1 Gene Variants Found to Significantly Elevate Parkinson's Risk

A new study published in Cell Reports reveals a breakthrough discovery linking genetic variants in the gene ITSN1 to a significantly elevated risk of Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative condition that affects nearly 2% of adults older than 65 years.

10 Mar 2025

Lack of Genetic Diversity in Reference Groups Leads to Misdiagnoses

A new study has uncovered that a gene variant common in Oceanian communities was misclassified as a potential cause of heart disease, highlighting the risk of the current diversity gap in genomics research which can pose a greater risk for misdiagnosis of people from non-European ancestries.

8 Mar 2025

Genomics can Transform Care for Children with Rare Diseases

A simple genomics blood test could improve treatment and care for childhood epilepsy, but more investment is needed to make access fair and securely join up the data, finds a new study involving researchers at University College London (UCL) and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH).

8 Mar 2025

Study Reveals How the Brain Reorganizes Sensory Maps After Loss of Touch

A team of researchers from the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Miguel Hernández University (UMH) in Elche, has discovered that the developing brain can reorganize its sensory maps when the sense of touch is affected.

8 Mar 2025

Study Shows How Transposons Exploit Telomeres in Bacteria

Transposons, or "jumping genes" – DNA segments that can move from one part of the genome to another – are key to bacterial evolution and the development of antibiotic resistance.

8 Mar 2025

DENND1B Gene Linked to Obesity in Dogs and Humans

Dogs are a compelling model of human obesity, in part because they develop obesity due to similar environmental influences as people.

8 Mar 2025

New Brain-Mapping Technique Pinpoints Cell Types Linked to Alzheimer's Progression

Researchers from The University of Texas at Arlington and the University of California–San Francisco have employed a novel brain-mapping technique to pinpoint memory-related brain cells that are susceptible to protein accumulation, a significant contributor to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, an irreversible and progressive neurological disorder that gradually impairs memory and cognitive abilities.

7 Mar 2025

Ancient Fish Fossils Reveal Synovial Joints Evolved Millions of Years Earlier Than Thought

Recent research reveals that synovial joints originated in early jawed fish, reshaping our understanding of vertebrate skeletal evolution and movement.

7 Mar 2025

Mapping DNA's Hidden Switches: A Methylation Atlas

A new study, led by PhD student Jonathan Rosenski under the guidance of Prof. Tommy Kaplan from the School of Computer Science and Engineering and Prof. Yuval Dor from the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Hadassah Medical Center, has been published in Nature Communications, presenting the first comprehensive atlas of allele-specific DNA methylation across 39 primary human cell types.

7 Mar 2025

New Genetic Discovery Could Lead to Larger Tomatoes and Eggplants

Bigger, tastier tomatoes and eggplants could soon grace our dinner plates thanks to Johns Hopkins scientists who have discovered genes that control how large the fruits will grow.

6 Mar 2025

Cryo-ET Reveals Retrotransposon Replication Inside Cells

An arms race is occurring within human cells: Transposons, also known as jumping genes or mobile genetic elements, can replicate and reintegrate themselves into the genome, posing a threat to genomic integrity by inducing DNA rearrangements and mutations.

6 Mar 2025

Macrophages Use Bacterial Debris To Fine-Tune Immune Responses

Findings reveal macrophages' role in immune modulation through bacterial metabolites, paving the way for improved therapies for infections and inflammation.

6 Mar 2025

Discovery of Ball-and-Chain Mechanism Sheds Light on Ion Channel Regulation

A new study has unveiled a precise picture of how an ion channel found in most mammalian cells regulates its own function with a "ball-and-chain" channel-plugging mechanism, according to investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine.

5 Mar 2025

Arab Pangenome Reference Provides New Path for Advancing Precision Medicine

Creation of a comprehensive genetic representation for more than 2.5 billion people across the Middle East and South Asia could make a major contribution towards advancing precision medicine, a publication in Nature Medicine reveals.

5 Mar 2025

Colossal Creates the Colossal Woolly Mouse, Showcasing Breakthroughs in Multiplex Genome Editing and Trait Engineering on the Path to a Mammoth

In an extraordinary achievement of advanced multiplexed genome engineering, Colossal Biosciences announces the birth of the Colossal Woolly Mouse—mice engineered to express multiple key mammoth-like traits that provide adaptations to life in cold climates.

5 Mar 2025