Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are our cells' intermediaries as genes become proteins. In order for the instructions in our genes to be carried out, first their DNA sequences are copied into mRNA, and then that mRNA is used as a ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 8, 2021
0
13
Planarians are small water-dwelling worms known for their regenerative capacity. If you chop one into ten pieces, you'll end up with ten fully-formed worms.
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 21, 2021
0
27
Over the past decade, the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system has revolutionized genetic engineering, allowing scientists to make targeted changes to organisms' DNA. While the system could potentially be useful in treating a ...
Biotechnology
Apr 9, 2021
12
1904
Our bodies are made up of trillions of cells, and each of those cells is made up of countless biological molecules with specialized functions that keep the cells alive. When those molecules malfunction, it can lead to disease. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 25, 2021
0
6
Cell culture media surrounds cells growing in the laboratory, and serves as both home and food. The media that scientists have used for decades to study cancer cells is great for promoting cell growth—but not so good at ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 4, 2021
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73
Sex-specific chromosomes are a dangerous place to be, if you're a gene. Because these chromosomes—Y chromosomes, in humans—do not have a matching chromosome with which to exchange genetic information, they are prone to ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 21, 2021
0
112
At any given moment in the human body, in about 30 trillion cells, DNA is being "read" into molecules of messenger RNA, the intermediary step between DNA and proteins, in a process called transcription.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 16, 2020
0
50
Roland Kersten made his way down the aisle of the local supermarket, selecting different varieties of potato. This was one of the easier collection trips that a researcher in Whitehead Institute Member Jing-Ke Weng's lab ...
Ecology
Dec 4, 2020
1
5
Melanosomes are the organelles, or structures, inside our cells, that produce melanin, the molecule that gives our skin, hair and eyes their color. Melanosomes produce several different forms of melanin, including black/brown ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Nov 19, 2020
0
26
In a new study, published Nov. 18 in the journal Genome Research, scientists in the lab of Whitehead Institute Member David Page present the first ever full, high-resolution sequence of the Y chromosome of a Hereford bull. ...
Biotechnology
Nov 18, 2020
0
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