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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).

Drug Boosts Axon Regrowth In Human Brain-Spinal Cord Model

This study presents a human organoid model that identifies genetic factors limiting nerve regeneration and highlights lynestrenol's role in promoting repair.

4 Jun 2026

Genetic Blueprint Framework Maps Insect Brains to Simplify Human Neuroscience

While E. Josie Clowney would never suggest that neuroscience is simple, a new study by her team at the University of Michigan could drastically reduce complexity in future studies.

4 Jun 2026

New Chromosome Packaging Discovery Explains Unlimited Growth in Cancer Cells

Published today in Nature, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center report a previously unrecognized change in how the cell's genetic material is packaged into structures called chromosomes.

4 Jun 2026

New Marine Species Euplotes Gigatrox Swallows Genetically Identical Relatives

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have discovered a microscopic organism that can transform into a cannibalistic "supergiant" that drastically changes size, shape, and behavior, and abandons filter-feeding to hunt and consume their genetically identical relatives.

4 Jun 2026

Study Shows How AI and Single Cell Science are Changing Modern Medicine

Recent technological advances have pushed the boundaries of cellular biology far beyond what was conceivable even decades ago

4 Jun 2026

New Gene-Editing Strategy Ensures Quality Control in Stem Cell Therapies

A team of researchers led by Luigi Naldini at the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget) has developed a new strategy to significantly improve the precision and safety of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing.

3 Jun 2026

Scientists Uncover How Marine Invertebrates Bypass Mammalian Epigenetic Rules

Typically, the information encoded in DNA allows organisms to develop, function and pass traits across generations.

3 Jun 2026

Atomic Snapshots of Human SMUG1 Unveil the Secrets of DNA Repair

Researchers have captured the first atomic structures of human SMUG1, an enzyme that helps cells repair damaged DNA.

3 Jun 2026

A New Non-Destructive Tool Maps Active Transcription Profiles in Living Tissue

Cell function is determined by how DNA is expressed into proteins. That process includes two main steps - transcription, when messenger RNA (mRNA) makes copies of active genes, and translation, when mRNA guides protein assembly.

2 Jun 2026

Researchers Map an Unprecedented Gene Journey From the X to Y Chromosome

The humble Y chromosome may be the smallest chromosome in the mammalian genome (and getting even smaller), but it is mighty: genes on the Y chromosome are critical for fertility in males.

2 Jun 2026

Live-Imaging Techniques Reveal How Stem Cells Collectively Suppress Tumors

It all starts with a single cell.

2 Jun 2026

Motor Proteins Help Reshape Chromosomes During Cell Division

It's tricky to make an exact copy of yourself. Or at least it is for cells undergoing mitosis, where cells replicate everything inside of them, including their neatly packaged DNA, then split in half.

28 May 2026

Cornell Researchers Develop Safer CRISPR Technique Using DNA Nicks

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a safer and more precise way to study how genes function in living tissues by refining a recently developed CRISPR-based genetic technique in fruit flies, enabling researchers to better study how genes contribute to development and disease.

28 May 2026

Cells Sense Abnormal RNA Patterns to Silence Jumping Genes

Transposons, DNA sequences that can self-replicate and move (jump) throughout the genome, are widespread and can affect cell survival if left unchecked. Cells control these "jumping genes" by silencing them, but little was known about how cells recognize and defend themselves from invading transposons.

27 May 2026

High Protein Levels Bypass Functional BRCA Defenses to Generate Toxic Double-Strand Genomic Breaks

When it comes to cancer, tumor suppressor genes are usually thought of as the "good guys." These genes make proteins that protect and repair DNA in cells.

22 May 2026

New Epigenetic Study Discovers Inheritance Patterns That Defy Mendel's Laws

Scientists have long known that the DNA code in genes is not the only way to pass genetic traits from parents to offspring.

21 May 2026

Disrupted Honeycomb Cellular Patterns in the Early Brain May Drive Cancer and Birth Defects

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have revealed how mistakes in the final step of cell division can have dire consequences for developing brain cells. The findings offer important new insights into cancer and developmental disorders, helping explain how the body tries to protect itself and what happens when it can't.

21 May 2026

Protein Plays Dual Role by Silencing Thousands of Genes While Keeping Vital Ones Active

The causes of male infertility can be hard to diagnose, with many tests failing to detect genetic defects. Sometimes, infertility doesn't even involve the genes themselves. It can arise from improper folding of the father's DNA in the sperm. If a couple conceives, this mispackaged DNA can damage the lifelong health of the child.

21 May 2026

Sensory Nerve Signals Block the Immune System's Response to Lung Cancer

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have revealed that sensory nerve signals interfere with the immune system's response to lung cancer. This previously unrecognized neuroimmune connection could be targeted to improve responses to immunotherapy.

20 May 2026

Cell Study Challenges Long-Standing View That Individual Human Genomes Evolve Independently

Scientists at Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) have discovered that large pieces of DNA can transfer directly between human cells, and the DNA can persist and change how the recipient cell functions.

20 May 2026