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A gene is a unit of heredity in a living organism. It normally resides on a stretch of DNA that codes for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. All living things depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains.

Scientists Move Beyond Individual Genes to Decode Schizophrenia’s Complex Genetic Network

Scientists have long known that schizophrenia runs in families, but pinpointing exactly which genes contribute to risk has been like searching for needles in a haystack. Now, researchers at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development and a consortium of collaborators from the University of Bari, Italy, and over 60 psychiatric hospitals all over the world, have developed a groundbreaking approach that looks beyond individual genes.

23 Jun 2026

Study Reveals How Arsenic Pollution Alters Bacterial Metabolism and Detoxification

As arsenic levels increased, bacterial richness and diversity declined, while arsenic-tolerant groups such as Proteobacteria became more abundant. The study also found that bacteria strengthened stress-response pathways, including signal transduction and cell motility, and upregulated arsenic-resistance genes such as arsC2 and arsB.

23 Jun 2026

New Genetic Discovery Explains Why Colorectal Cancer Spreads so Quickly

Loss of GATA6-a transcription factor that controls which genes are turned on or off-can reprogram colorectal cancer cells into more primitive, adaptable states that can then spread to the liver and establish new tumors, according to Weill Cornell Medicine and Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers.

23 Jun 2026

Aberdeen Researcher Awarded Prestigious $1.2 M International Grant to Uncover How New Traits Evolve

An Aberdeen-based researcher has been awarded a highly prestigious international research grant to investigate one of biology’s most enduring mysteries: how completely new traits evolve in animals.

23 Jun 2026

Research Identifies Essential Genes for Designing New Strep Vaccines

A fast-rising strep bacterium has become increasingly notorious for causing serious infections in humans, including complications that can lead to muscle damage and patient death. New Houston Methodist research appearing in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier, sheds light on how Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE) causes disease and may provide important insights to aid in vaccine development.

22 Jun 2026

New Study Reveals How Introns Jump Between Species Without Viral Help

Jumping genes are parasites in the genetic material of bacteria, plants, animals and humans. They are released into the cell as small RNA molecules from ribonucleic acid (RNA) and possess complex mechanisms for inserting themselves into other parts of the genetic material within the cell, thereby often conferring new properties on the cell and thus accelerating evolution. There are also jumping genes that free themselves from the RNA using an RNA enzyme. These ribozymes or self-splicing introns are a special group of jumping genes.

22 Jun 2026

New Research Examines How Blood Cancer Mutations Progress from Healthy States

Researchers have found that a genetic mutation associated with a rare group of blood cancers does not always result in development of the disease. The work provides insight into the initial phases of the disease and may eventually lead to tailored monitoring techniques that improve patient outcomes.

22 Jun 2026

Childhood Adversity Leaves Coordinated Epigenetic Marks Across Tissues

The experiences we face early in life may leave their marks on our health in ways that echo across decades-and even across the entire body.

19 Jun 2026

Researchers Map Molecular Pathways Behind Diverse Autism Genes

Hundreds of genes have been linked to autism, yet the precise molecular and cellular mechanisms behind it remain largely unclear.

19 Jun 2026

Taste and Smell Genetic Receptors Shape Long-Term Disease Risks

Imagine if a doctor could look at your DNA and predict not just your disease risk, but also which foods you're drawn to – and whether those cravings are quietly protecting you.

19 Jun 2026

Comb Jelly Study Reveals Origin of Animal Body Coordinate System

In order for vertebrate embryos to develop their body axes, they require what is known as an embryonic signaling center.

18 Jun 2026

Newly Identified Cell Surface Receptor Triggers Rapid Neuron Growth

Cells have surface receptors that couple to proteins and other molecules to initiate or inhibit certain behaviors.

18 Jun 2026

RNA-Based Barcoding Tool Tracks Virus-Host Interactions Inside Bacterial Communities

An interdisciplinary team of Rice University researchers has uncovered previously unknown relationships between bacteriophages - viruses that infect bacteria - and their bacterial hosts, offering a powerful new tool for next-generation microbiome engineering.

17 Jun 2026

Genome Sequencing Unlocks Ancestral History of North Atlantic Founder Population

Genome sequencing has revealed insights into how current-day residents of the Faroe Islands can trace their ancestry to a North Atlantic founder population and how evolutionary forces have shaped their genomes since.

17 Jun 2026

Molecular Cell Study Explains Gut Microbiome Impact on Liver Genes

A local research study led by scientists from the A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore (A*STAR GIS) has uncovered how the gut microbiome can influence gene activity in the liver by acting on short stretches of regulatory DNA that function like molecular "switches".

16 Jun 2026

Study Identifies Protein Involved as Key Structural Anchor for Bacterial Membranes

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame and collaborators have discovered a key process for how the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria attaches to the cell wall, advancing the understanding of how these bacteria frequently manifest resistance to antibiotics.

16 Jun 2026