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.
Similar to the way the caps on the ends of a shoelace prevent it from fraying, telomeres—regions of repetitive DNA sequences and a protein structure—protect the tips of chromosomes from damage.
Biotechnology
Aug 14, 2025
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Ancient events in plant evolution have left behind large, duplicated regions in their genomes. Salk Institute scientists found that deleting these large blocks of DNA can still lead to normal plants. The findings demonstrate ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 13, 2025
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87
To study growth-defense trade-offs in the context of metabolism in crops, scientists from the Universities of Potsdam and Erlangen, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, and the National Institute of Biology, ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Aug 11, 2025
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17
A team of Chinese researchers has developed two new genome editing technologies, known collectively as Programmable Chromosome Engineering (PCE) systems.
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 4, 2025
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The human genome consists of 3 billion base pairs, and when a cell divides, it takes about seven hours to complete making a copy of its DNA. That's almost 120,000 base pairs per second. At that breakneck speed, one might ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 4, 2025
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357
The DNA of nearly all life on Earth contains many redundancies, and scientists have long wondered whether these redundancies served a purpose or if they were just leftovers from evolutionary processes. Both DNA and RNA contain ...
The DNA packed inside every human cell contains instructions for life, written in billions of letters of genetic code. Every time a cell divides, the complete code, divided among 46 chromosomes, must be faithfully copied. ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 29, 2025
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The binding of proteins to DNA is crucial for producing other proteins, ensuring that all the necessary processes in cells are performed, and for switching genes on or off. Proteins that bind to DNA are called transcription ...
Biotechnology
Jul 28, 2025
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An international team of scientists has decoded some of the most stubborn, overlooked regions of the human genome using complete sequences from 65 individuals across diverse ancestries.
Biotechnology
Jul 23, 2025
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36
A new international study suggests that ancient viral DNA embedded in our genome, which were long dismissed as genetic "junk," may actually play powerful roles in regulating gene expression. Focusing on a family of sequences ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 18, 2025
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