Collaborate Disseminate
New research has provided unprecedented insights into the genetics and social structures of Neanderthals. Scientists have sequenced the genomes of 13 individuals that lived in a close-knit community, revealing some specific family ties.Continue Reading… Continue reading Neanderthal genome sequences reveal close family ties
The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Swedish geneticist Svante Pääbo, for his work in tracing human evolution by reconstructing the genomes of extinct hominins. Pääbo was the first to sequence the Neanderthal genome and di… Continue reading Extinct human genome sequences earn scientist first Nobel Prize of 2022
Researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) have discovered that a common lab molecule, used to label DNA, can trigger a runaway process that eventually leads to cell death. But the team says this could have a positive use too, as a potential… Continue reading A vicious cycle of DNA damage and repair could be turned against cancer
For people who get cold sores, the virus is with them for life – but how long has the virus itself been with humanity? Scientists from Cambridge have now sequenced the genome of the facial herpes virus, including samples taken from several ancient huma… Continue reading Ancient genetic study traces “cold sore” virus back 5,000 years
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed the world’s first electric nanomotors made of DNA. The self-assembling structures can be activated by an electric charge to spin a ratcheting rotor arm.Continue ReadingCategory: Sci… Continue reading First self-assembling DNA nanomotor runs on electricity
Forget invisible ink – in the future spies could be sending secret messages encoded directly into the DNA of living cells. Researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have demonstrated a “DNA Typewriter” by encoding full sentences into DN… Continue reading DNA typewriter encodes full sentences into living cells
As important as the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool has been, it has a relatively high error rate, which can introduce potentially harmful mutations. Researchers in Germany have now developed a more refined tool that reduces errors by nicking DNA instead… Continue reading New gene editing tool reduces errors by nicking DNA not cutting
Despite protective measures being in place, endangered fish species are regularly caught then sold in open markets. And while visually searching them out can be difficult, a new technology could more easily allow authorities to know which species are b… Continue reading Wastewater-borne DNA reveals endangered species in fish markets
DNA is known to mutate regularly, for better or worse, driving both evolution and disease. Researchers at the University of Surrey have now found evidence that some of these spontaneous mutations could be caused by the spooky realm of quantum mechanics… Continue reading Quantum tunneling could drive random DNA mutations, says new study
How life on Earth first arose is one of the most profound mysteries of science, and evidence is mounting that the key building blocks may have been delivered to our home planet from space. A new study makes that scenario seem even more likely, as scien… Continue reading All five of life’s base units have now been found in meteorites