Improved Estimates of DNA’s Mutation Rate Paint Clearer Picture of Human Prehistory
Since the 1960s, DNA has changed the story of human ancestry. Some studies have shown that all modern humans are descended from ancestors who lived…
DNA News
Honeybees Switch Roles within the Hive
Honeybees exhibit subtle differences in their DNA, which is tied to their roles within the hive. These DNA modifications, which are normally fixed, can be…
Genome Studies Indicate That “Junk” DNA Holds Clues to Common Diseases
Twelve years after the first draft of the human genome was published, back in 2000, geneticists have discovered that very few diseases are linked to…
DNA Storage Record Broken: 1 Gram Could Hold As Much as 455 Exabytes
Researchers have been able to encode a draft of an entire book into DNA. The 5.27 MB file contains 53,246 words, 11 JPG images, as…
Arsenic-Tolerant GFAJ-1 Bacterium Still Needs Phosphorous
18 months after the controversy started, it’s become official that the arsenic-tolerant bacterium, GFAJ-1, found in California’s Mono Lake, cannot live without phosphorous. It was…
A New and Possibly More Effective Method for Editing Genomes
A team of scientists at the Berkeley Lab has discovered the mechanism behind the RNA-guided cleavage of double-stranded DNA that is central to the bacterial…
A Molecular Directional Dark Matter Detector Made From Gold and DNA
Scientists are working on a directional dark matter detector that will use strands of DNA and gold in order to detect the elusive non-baryonic matter….
Searching for the Best Shape for Cancer Fighting Nanoparticles
New research shows that disc-shaped nanoparticles created with photolithographic technology will allow researchers to specify the size, shape, and surface properties of the nanoparticles, while…
Nucleic Acid Nanoparticles to Target Genes that Promote Tumor Growth
Researchers at MIT and Harvard Medical School have created biodegradable nanoparticles made from stands of DNA and RNA that can deliver snippets of RNA directly…
Using DNA and Bacteriophages as Rewritable Memory Storage
Synthetic biologists have been able to encode a kind of rewritable memory directly into DNA, after seeking ways to use biological data-storage systems effectively. This…
Butterfly Research Reveals Genetic Sharing from Hybridization
While studying the genome of the Postman butterfly and examining the genetic makeup of two other closely related butterfly species, a team of international researchers…
MIT Study Measures the Effects of Low Doses of Radiation on DNA
While exposure to low-dose-rate radiation from cosmic radiation and natural radioactive isotopes in the environment is part of everyday life, a new study from MIT…
Cdt1 Protein Has a Role in DNA Replication and Mitosis
Newly published research from biochemists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine describes how a protein that is required for DNA replication, Cdt1,…
Bioengineers Develop Deformability Cytometer to Help Diagnose Disease
Bioengineers at UCLA developed a deformability cytometer to better understand the physical properties of cells, which may prove very useful in the fight against diseases…
Understanding Antibiotics and Their Role in Killing Bacteria
Over the years antibiotics have saved many lives, but scientists never fully understood the process of how bacteria were killed, until now. A new study…
DNA Jumps Directly From the Cell’s Chloroplasts Into Its Nucleus
By subjecting cells to high selection pressure in a laboratory setting, researchers at Max Planck Institute were able to fast-forward gene transfer from the chloroplasts…
Faster and Cheaper Genomics Technique Ready for Takeoff
A new genomics technique developed at Cornell University is roughly 50 times cheaper than comparable methods. The cost effectiveness of this new method, called Genotyping-by-sequencing…
New DNA Entity in Mammalian Cells
A new discovery of three unique non-repetitive microDNA sequences was made by a team of researchers at the University of North Carolina. Their research shows…
