Genomes, as physical systems, comprise the complete set of nucleic acid molecules (typically DNA, or RNA in some viruses) that encode the hereditary information of an organism, including all chromosomes and extrachromosomal genetic elements. They are organized into linear or circular polymers of nucleotides, with specific higher-order structures such as chromatin in eukaryotes or nucleoid organization in prokaryotes. At the physical level, genomes exhibit defined sequence composition, length, and structural features (e.g., replication origins, regulatory regions, repetitive elements) that collectively determine their stability, replication dynamics, mutational patterns, and interactions with cellular molecular machinery.
One of life's many mysteries is how it ended up choosing only a set of 20 amino acids to build proteins for its wide catalog of organisms, from single-celled bacteria to behemoth whales. From a chemical standpoint, many of ...
When scientist J. Craig Venter and his team announced in 2010 that they had created the first cell controlled by a fully synthetic genome, it marked a turning point in how scientists think about life.
Biotechnology
May 3, 2026
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101
Cell division is one of the most fundamental and complex processes underpinning life. In human cells, thousands of molecules coordinate with one another in highly precise steps, all within a fraction of a second. But things ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 1, 2026
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A Moffitt Cancer Center researcher has introduced a new model that addresses one of biology's most fundamental questions: How does genetic information keep living systems organized and therefore alive?
Cell & Microbiology
May 1, 2026
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29
When a gene is turned on in a cell, it creates a ripple effect along the DNA strand, changing the physical structure of the strand. A new study by MIT researchers, appearing in Science, shows that these ripples can stimulate ...
Biotechnology
Apr 30, 2026
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9
How do our genes determine our appearance and our susceptibility to disease? This question is central to biomedical research, and today we can sequence thousands of human genomes to identify these genes. However, genes work ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 30, 2026
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49
New technology enables the insertion of a large segment of DNA into a genome, potentially expanding gene therapy treatment from cancellation of disease-causing mutations to replacement of an entire gene, scientists say.
Biotechnology
Apr 29, 2026
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173
The development of an embryo is one of the most fundamental processes in biology. Early in this process, it is determined which cells will give rise to which tissues—controlled by epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 29, 2026
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12
Every cell in the human body squeezes over six feet of DNA into a minuscule speck invisible to the naked eye—like compressing a whole house into a single sugar cube. In order to fit in a cell and remain organized, DNA is ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 29, 2026
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49
The sperm and the egg cell's nuclei compete for size directly after fertilization and this is necessary for proper embryonic development. A mouse study with Kobe University participation finally gives meaning to a phenomenon ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 29, 2026
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