Untwisting DNA reveals new force that shapes genomes

Advances in microscopy have enabled researchers to picture loops of DNA strands for the first time. The images reveal how the human genome organizes itself in three-dimensional space at much higher resolution than previously ...

A genetically male strain of giant kelp can produce eggs

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen and their collaborators describe a strain of giant kelp that is genetically male, but presents phenotypic features of females. Their findings ...

The evolution of axial patterning

Body axes are molecular coordinate systems along which regulatory genes are activated. These genes then activate the development of anatomical structures in correct locations in the embryo. Thus, the body ensures that we ...

The origin of reproductive organs

Early in human development, during the first trimester of gestation, a fetus may have XX or XY chromosomes that indicate its sex. Yet at this stage a mass of cells known as the bipotential gonad that ultimately develops into ...

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