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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).

New Discovery Reveals How HIV Infects Resting Immune Cells

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism by which HIV-1 can infect resting immune cells.

7 May 2026

Advances in DNA Assembly Enable Efficient Microbial Cell Factories

A review in Quantitative Biology demonstrates that scientists can now reliably build and combine very large pieces of DNA, making it much easier to redesign microbes such as yeast and bacteria to act as efficient "cell factories."

7 May 2026

UNC Professor Receives Grant to Investigate Origins of the Genetic Code

Over the course of natural history, animals and plants have evolved to adapt to an ever-changing environment and increase the chances of survival. So, too, has our own DNA.

7 May 2026

Tardigrade Proteins Allow Synthetic Cells to Survive Extreme Dehydration

A protein found only in microscopic tardigrades, one that allows them to survive extreme conditions like dehydration, can convey similar durability in synthetic cells, according to new research from University of Michigan Engineering and the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering.

7 May 2026

Breakthrough CRISPR Discovery Enables Selective Destruction of Cancerous Cells

Among the challenges in treating disease, including cancer, is wiping out malignancies, infection, contaminants or other pathologies, without destroying healthy tissue.

7 May 2026

New Epigenetic Marker Reveals Lasting Impact of Arsenic Exposure

Public health experts estimate that more than 200 million people worldwide are exposed to arsenic through contaminated drinking water.

5 May 2026

AI Model Reads DNA Like Language to Trace Ancestry

Researchers at the University of Oregon have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can read genetic code the way large language models like ChatGPT read text. Scanning the genome for biological mutation patterns, the computer model traces pairs of genes back in time to their last common ancestor.

5 May 2026

Metabolic Pathway Loss Makes Cancer Cells Vulnerable to PARP Drugs

Loss of an enzyme necessary for a process called lipoylation disrupts the way cancer cells copy their DNA, increasing their vulnerability to a class of anticancer drugs known as PARP inhibitors, a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers shows.

5 May 2026

Engineered Bacteriophage Speeds up the "Training" of Plastic-Eating Bacteria

Millions of tons of plastic waste build up in landfills and oceans each year. One promising approach is to engineer microbes to break plastic down into useful chemical building blocks.

4 May 2026

Accelerating Enzyme Discovery With the SMART Single-Molecule Screening System

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions in living organisms. They are widely applied in industries such as food production, detergents, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.

30 Apr 2026

Pronuclei Size Competition Maintains Gene Regulation in Early Embryos

The sperm and the egg cell's nuclei compete for size directly after fertilization and this is necessary for the proper embryonic development.

30 Apr 2026

AI Reveals Dynamic DNA Accessibility Within Nucleosome Structures

Every cell in the human body squeezes over six feet of DNA into a miniscule speck invisible to the naked eye-like compressing a whole house into a single sugar cube.

30 Apr 2026

Prime Assembly Approach Transforms Gene Therapy With Large DNA Inserts

New technology enables the insertion of a large segment of DNA into a genome, potentially expanding gene therapy treatment from cancellation of disease-causing mutations to replacement of an entire gene, scientists say.

30 Apr 2026

Long Read Sequencing Uncovers Telomere Length Variation Across Chromosomes

In a new proof-of-concept study published in Nature Communications, researchers at the University of Chicago analyzed genomic data from more than 2,500 participants in the national All of Us research program to estimate chromosome-specific telomere length (csTL).

30 Apr 2026

How the Microbiome Shapes Cancer Immunity and Therapy Response

This review examines how the human microbiome regulates anti-tumor immunity through DNA damage, inflammation, immune-cell activity, microbial metabolites, and tumor microenvironment remodeling. It highlights emerging microbiome-based strategies, including FMT, probiotics, prebiotics, engineered bacteria, and live biotherapeutics, while stressing the need for rigorous validation and clinical trials.

29 Apr 2026

New DNA Tests Expose Spice Fraud Across Popular Herbs and Spices

Researchers interlaboratory-validated 13 DNA-based qPCR methods to quantify selected plant adulterants in paprika/chilli, saffron, turmeric, cumin, oregano, and black pepper. The methods showed strong repeatability, reproducibility, and trueness, supporting their use as confirmatory tools in official spice authenticity testing.

28 Apr 2026

MD Anderson Researchers Map DNA Replication Stress at Single-Cell Resolution

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed a new imaging method, known as RF-SIRF, that quantitatively detects and maps reversed DNA replication forks with single-cell resolution.

28 Apr 2026

High Resolution Images Reveal DNA Repair Process in Key Protein

Scientists have captured the most detailed structural images to date of a specific type of protein's DNA repair process, a finding that could reveal ways to inhibit the effects of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations that heighten the risk for breast, ovarian and other cancers.

28 Apr 2026

Obesity Leaves Persistent Epigenetic Marks on Immune Cells

People who live with obesity are 'tagging' a memory of being overweight on a key part of the immune system - leaving people with ongoing risk of obesity-related conditions years after losing weight, according to a 10 year-long study published in EMBO Reports.

28 Apr 2026

Lund Researchers Map Epigenome Secrets of Insulin and Glucagon Cells

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have carried out the most detailed mapping to date of the epigenome in the cells that regulate the body's blood sugar levels.

27 Apr 2026