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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).

RNA Imaging Predicts Early Cell Damage with High Sensitivity

NIMS, in collaboration with Nagoya University, Gifu University, and the University of Adelaide, has developed a method for simultaneously imaging DNA and RNA inside cells using harmless infrared to near-infrared light.

14 Nov 2025

Studying Disease Evolution Through Ancient DNA Analysis

Research institutions around the world house valuable genetic information that could help unlock countless medical mysteries. However, because DNA degrades over time, it is difficult for researchers to analyze DNA samples older than 20 years using conventional analytical approaches.

14 Nov 2025

New Tool Studies Kinase Activity During DNA Damage

Cornell researchers have developed a powerful new biosensor that reveals, in unprecedented detail, how and where kinases – enzymes that control nearly all cellular processes – turn on and off inside living cells.

14 Nov 2025

FOXP3 Gene Regulation Holds Key to Immune Therapies

The immune system faces a delicate balancing act: it must be aggressive enough to fight infections and cancer, yet restrained enough to avoid attacking the body's own tissues.

14 Nov 2025

New "Ultra-Mild" Method Corrects Cancer DNA Methylation Test Errors

Traditional bisulfite sequencing damages DNA, while enzyme-based alternatives are inconsistent. A novel methylation analysis method, called UMBS-seq, was published this week in Nature Communications. UMBS-seq achieves both accuracy and gentleness, unlocking more reliable cancer biomarker detection.

13 Nov 2025

Plant Cell Duality: Balancing Adaptability in Skin Cells with Stability in Reproductive Cells

Mutations drive evolution, but they can also be risky. New research led by plant biologists at the University of California, Davis, published Nov. 10 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals how plants control mutation rates in different stem cells to balance adaptability with safety and stability.

13 Nov 2025

Texas A&M Researchers Use AI to Identify a Genetic Time Capsule for Distinguishing Species

In a groundbreaking study, scientists from the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) have utilized cutting-edge artificial intelligence methods to identify a region of the X chromosome that has maintained the distinctiveness of mammal species for millions of years.

13 Nov 2025

Animal Testing to Be Phased Out Faster as UK Unveils Roadmap for Alternative Methods

Animal testing in science is set to be phased out faster under a new plan to deliver on the government’s manifesto commitment, unveiled by Science Minister Lord Vallance today (Tuesday 11 November).

13 Nov 2025

Pitt-Led Team Creates Fully Synthetic Bacteriophages, Speeding Up Discovery

A team led by University of Pittsburgh's Graham Hatfull has developed a method to construct bacteriophages with entirely synthetic genetic material, allowing researchers to add and subtract genes at will. The findings open the field to new pathways for understanding how these bacteria-killing viruses work, and for potential therapy of bacterial infections.

11 Nov 2025

Study Exposes Critical Security Flaws in Widely Used DNA Sequencing Tech

Portable genetic sequencers used around the world to sequence DNA have critical, previously unreported security vulnerabilities that could reveal or alter genetic information without detection, according to a new study.

11 Nov 2025

Neanderthal DNA Reveals Secrets of Jaw Development

Every human face is unique, allowing us to distinguish between individuals. We know little about how facial features are encoded in our DNA, but we may be able to learn more about how our faces develop by looking at our ancient relatives, the Neanderthals.

11 Nov 2025

Human Pangenome Research Opens a New Chapter in Precision Medicine

In May 2023, the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium (HPRC) released the first draft of the human pangenome reference sequence, which integrated genomic data from 47 individuals representing genetic diversity and added 119 million base pairs of euchromatic polymorphic sequences.

10 Nov 2025

Scientists Reveal Nonenzymatic Role of NUDT5 in Purine Pathway Regulation

Inside every cell, a finely tuned metabolic network determines when to build, recycle, or stop producing essential molecules.

7 Nov 2025

Decoding DNA’s Spatial Organization With Precision Tools

DNA is more than simply a lengthy string of genetic code; it is a complex three-dimensional structure folded inside each cell. That means that the equipment used to examine DNA must be as sophisticated, capable of reading not just the code itself but also its spatial arrangement.

7 Nov 2025

Two Genetic Mapping Approaches Reveal Distinct Sides of Disease Biology

The two main approaches for discovering disease genes reveal distinct aspects of biology, a new study shows.

6 Nov 2025

Ferroptosis Suppression Identified as a Key Driver of Lung Cancer Growth

NYU Langone Health researchers found that a type of cell death caused by a buildup of highly reactive molecules suppresses lung tumor growth.

6 Nov 2025

Breakthrough Genomic Technique Expands View of Ocean Microbial Life

A new method vastly improves on the existing approach for single-cell genetic sequencing, enabling scientists to read the genomes of individual cells and viral particles in the environment more quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively.

6 Nov 2025

RNA Molecules Alter Genome Structure to Silence Critical Neuronal Genes During Stress

What if the brain's response to stress could be read not in fleeting neurotransmitter bursts, but in the quieting of genes deep inside chromatin? Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have now shown that stress hormones may silence crucial neuronal genes through an unexpected class of RNA molecules that operate not by encoding proteins, but by reshaping the genome's architecture.

5 Nov 2025

New Genomic Method Unlocks Diagnoses for Rare Conditions

A new genomic method has enabled multiple people with rare conditions to receive diagnoses that were previously unattainable by identifying complex structural genetic changes that are often missed by standard tests.

4 Nov 2025

Weill Cornell Scientists Develop Safe and Precise Tool to Control Gene Activity

Investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine have developed a versatile and non-toxic technology for controlling the activity of any gene in a cell. Such "gene-switch" tools allow scientists to "turn on" or "turn off" a target gene to study how it works, model diseases and design new therapies.

4 Nov 2025