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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 Methods Increase Understanding of How Bacteria Manage DNA

New analytical methods developed at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions have increased our understanding of how bacteria manage DNA.

23 Apr 2026

Ancient Genetic Sequences Found to Drive Human Language Abilities

In a first-of-its-kind finding, researchers at University of Iowa Health Care discovered that specific genetic sequences have an outsized impact on humans' language abilities and that these sequences evolved before humans and Neanderthals diverged.

23 Apr 2026

Genetic Study Reveals Biological Drivers of Frailty in Aging

Researchers at McMaster University have identified, for the first time, a novel region of DNA and two associated genes connected to frailty, offering neurological and immune-related insights that might help explain why some older adults are more likely to be frail than others.

22 Apr 2026

Is Fast Food Harming the Gut Health of Seagulls? We Could be About to Find Out

A brand new study looking at the impact of fast food on the gut health of seagulls has just won funding from the Royal Society.

22 Apr 2026

Epigenetic Regulators Shape Gene Activity in Unexpected Ways

A new study finds the proteins responsible for controlling which genes are expressed in a genome do more than simply turn a gene on or off.

21 Apr 2026

Study Reveals How Neurons Sense Bacterial Signals in Nematodes

Neural interaction with bacteria, e.g. in the gut microbiome, has important effects on brains of animals from worms to people.

21 Apr 2026

Regulatory Genetic Elements Coordinate Temporal Activity of Key Developmental Gene

In a new study published in Genes & Development, research led by Dr Lila Allou at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) in London and Professor Stefan Mundlos at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics and Charité in Berlin demonstrates how different regulatory genetic elements coordinate the temporal activity of a key developmental gene.

20 Apr 2026

How Mitochondrial Damage Accelerates Stem Cell Aging

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), the cells that produce all blood cell types, start to lose their efficacy as one ages, which eventually reduces the ability to maintain healthy blood and a robust immune system.

17 Apr 2026

Single-Molecule Imaging Reveals How Anabaena Maintains Its Rectangular Shape

Photosynthetic bacteria helped shape Planet Earth. Among them are cyanobacteria that produced the oxygen in our atmosphere and made complex life possible, captivating scientists for decades. Now, researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) report a surprising new discovery-a system thought to separate DNA has developed to sculpt the shape of the cell in cyanobacteria instead. The results, published in Science, shed light on how protein systems evolve and how multicellularity emerged in this type of ecologically essential bacteria.

17 Apr 2026

Researchers Develop 3D Organoids that Reflect the Complexity of Brain Tumors

Efforts to identify and evaluate next-generation therapeutics for pediatric brain tumors are easily stymied by the quality and availability of laboratory models for research. To address this issue, scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital developed patient-derived tumor organoids and tumor organoid xenografts that accurately reflect the biologic underpinnings of embryonal brain tumors.

16 Apr 2026

New Technology Tracks Real-Time Gene Activity to Find Common Disease Targets

Diseases like cancer or neurodegeneration are known to arise from genetic misfires. But treating such complex conditions hasn't been simply a matter of identifying the malfunctioning genes involved. With hundreds of genetic mutations spanning diverse pathways at play, connecting the dots between a constellation of mutations and a specific outcome has proved to be enormously difficult.

16 Apr 2026

Researchers Map the Genetic History of Savanna and Forest Elephant Species

In the largest genomic mapping of Africa's elephants, an international team of researchers shows that elephant history is defined by the ability to move across large distances and exchange genes throughout the African continent. But as the elephants' living space is becoming increasingly patchy, the study documents the visible genetic consequences of isolation – and points to approaches that help to incorporate genomics into current and future elephant conservation.

16 Apr 2026

New Genomic Data Confirms a Single Pathway for Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

Scientists have found the strongest evidence to date that a condition known as Barrett's esophagus is the starting point for all cases of esophageal adenocarcinoma – the most common type of esophageal cancer in the developed world – even when telltale signs of this pre-cancerous stage are no longer visible.

16 Apr 2026

1,116 Genomes Mapped to Reveal Hidden Human DNA Variation

The 1KCP pangenome enhances genetic research by mapping diverse DNA variations, crucial for understanding disease risk and advancing population genetics.

16 Apr 2026

Genetic Barcodes Reveal Early Origins of Human Peripheral Nerves

Millions of neurons branch throughout our bodies, keeping them in close communication with our brains. This peripheral network begins to take shape long before birth, as the cells of a growing embryo move into position and adopt their specialized roles.

15 Apr 2026