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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).

Long-Read Sequencing Brings New Hope for Rare Disease Diagnosis and Treatment

One in every 10 people worldwide is impacted by a rare genetic disease but about 50% of them remain undiagnosed despite rapid increases in genetic technology and testing.

27 Jan 2025

Mapping the Human Virome to Uncover Links Between Viruses and Health

You, my friend, are what scientists call a "holobiont"- an organism made up of human cells and the multiplicity of microscopic species living inside you and on your body.

27 Jan 2025

Study Reveals How Male Ruff Birds Use a "Super Enzyme" to Tame Excess Testosterone

We normally associate high testosterone levels with male dominance and aggression. Among ruffs – a shore bird that breeds across Europe and Asia – some males suffer from too much of it.

24 Jan 2025

Study Unveils Key Genetic Mechanism Behind Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria

An international collaboration has achieved an important breakthrough in understanding the genetic mechanisms that allow bacteria to build resistance to drugs.

24 Jan 2025

New Insights into the Biological Basis of Bipolar Disorder

According to research published in Nature on January 22nd, 2025, an international team of psychiatric genetics researchers has discovered 298 regions of the genome with DNA variations that increase the risk for bipolar disorder, more than four times the number previously found.

24 Jan 2025

New Breakthrough Pushes DNA-Nanoparticle Motors Closer to Natural Protein Speed

DNA-nanoparticle motors are exactly as they sound: tiny artificial motors that use the structures of DNA and RNA to propel motion by enzymatic RNA degradation.

23 Jan 2025

New Map Reveals How Human DNA Shuffles During Reproduction

Scientists at deCODE genetics/Amgen have constructed a complete map of how human DNA is mixed as it is passed down during reproduction.

23 Jan 2025

Epigenetic Aging and DNA-Methylation May Help Predict Breast Cancer Susceptibility

A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) on December 5, 2024, Volume 16, Issue 22, titled "DNA-methylation age and accelerated epigenetic aging in blood as a tumor marker for predicting breast cancer susceptibility."

22 Jan 2025

Genetic Mutations May Be Behind Epigenetic Clock of Aging

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have published results that shed new light on an old question: what causes aging at the molecular level? Their findings, published in Nature Aging, describe a never-before-seen link between the two most accepted explanations: random genetic mutations and predictable epigenetic modifications.

22 Jan 2025

Ancient Viral DNA Plays a Key Role in Embryonic Development

More than half of the human genome is made up of thousands of remnants of ancient viral DNA, known as transposable elements, which are pervasive across the tree of life.

21 Jan 2025

RNA, Not DNA, Drives Acute Sunburn and Skin Damage

Sunburn has traditionally been attributed to UV-induced DNA damage. However, a new study by the University of Copenhagen and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, reveals that RNA, another vital cellular molecule, plays a major role in triggering acute sunburn reactions.

20 Jan 2025

Unveiling the Interplay of DNA and RNA Epigenetics

The genes contain all the instructions the human body needs to function, but their expression must be carefully regulated to guarantee that each cell performs its function as best it can.

20 Jan 2025

GET Model Unveils Gene Regulation with Unmatched Accuracy Across Cell Types

GET, a novel computational model, accurately predicts gene activity by analyzing chromatin accessibility and DNA sequences across diverse human cell types.

20 Jan 2025

Scientists Discover Surprising Directional Flexibility in DNA-Shaping Motors

Scientists from Delft, Vienna, and Lausanne discovered that the protein machines that shape our DNA can switch direction.

17 Jan 2025

Study Unveils Surprising Cause of Brain Cell Death in Huntington's Disease

Scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Harvard Medical School, and McLean Hospital have discovered a surprising mechanism by which the inherited genetic mutation known to cause Huntington's disease leads to the death of brain cells.

17 Jan 2025

AI-Powered Platform for Designing Novel Protein Interactions

Researchers at EPFL have opened up a world of possibilities in the computational design of molecular interactions for biomedicine by using deep learning to create new proteins that bind to complexes involving other small molecules, such as hormones or medications.

17 Jan 2025

New study reveals how genes switch on and off in human cells

An international group of scientists has made a significant advancement in their understanding of the regulation of gene expression throughout the human genome.

17 Jan 2025

New Approach Aims to Make CRISPR Therapy Safer and More Effective

CRISPR is a powerful gene-editing tool that holds enormous potential for treating genetic diseases by allowing scientists to cut, replace, or delete mutations in DNA.

16 Jan 2025

Researchers Develop Method to Visualize Nanocarriers at Single-Cell Level

How can we ensure that life-saving drugs or genetic therapies reach their intended target cells without causing harmful side effects? Researchers at Helmholtz Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) and Technical University Munich (TUM) have taken an important step to answer this question.

16 Jan 2025

Epigenetic Mechanism Controls Placental Blood Vessel Formation

If the development of blood vessels in the placenta is impaired, fetal growth retardation may result. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Mannheim Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University discovered that the correct development of functioning blood vessels in the mouse placenta is controlled epigenetically: One of the enzymes that modify gene activity using methyl groups is responsible.

16 Jan 2025