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.
A research team led by Zhiping Weng, Ph.D., and Jill Moore, Ph.D."18, at UMass Chan Medical School, has nearly tripled the known number of potential regulatory elements in the genome to 2.37 million, creating the most comprehensive ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jan 14, 2026
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There are hundreds of cell types in the human body, each with a specific role spelled out in their DNA. In theory, all it takes for cells to behave in desired ways—for example, getting them to produce a therapeutic molecule ...
Biotechnology
Jan 14, 2026
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Engineers at the University of California have developed a new data structure and compression technique that enables the field of pangenomics to handle unprecedented scales of genetic information. The team, led by UC San ...
Biotechnology
Jan 12, 2026
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The conservation of genome regulatory elements over long periods of evolution is not limited to vertebrates, as previously thought, but also in echinoderms (invertebrates). This is one of the most notable conclusions of a ...
Evolution
Jan 8, 2026
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Despite the immense amount of genetic material present in each cell, around 3 billion base pairs in humans, this material needs to be accurately divided in two and allocated in equal quantities. The centromere, located in ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 8, 2026
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The most comprehensive dataset of termite genomes to date was created by an international team of scientists, led by researchers from the Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The team sequenced 45 termite genomes ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 22, 2025
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One of the most detailed 3D maps of how the human chromosomes are organized and folded within a cell's nucleus is published in Nature.
A newly revealed molecular tug-of-war may have implications for better understanding how a multitude of diseases and disorders—including cancers, neurodegenerative diseases and immune disorders—originate, as well as how to ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 16, 2025
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Research relies on replication: Different teams need to make the same conclusion multiple times before a consensus is reached and the finding can be built upon or applied. More may rest on the tools researchers use than previously ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Dec 15, 2025
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Leading synthetic biologists have shared hard-won lessons from their decade-long quest to build the world's first synthetic eukaryotic genome in a Nature Biotechnology paper. Their insights could accelerate development of ...
Biotechnology
Dec 11, 2025
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