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.
Mitochondria generate most of the body's energy. Variations in their genetic material have long been linked to neurological disorders, metabolic syndromes, and cancers. However, most large-scale mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 20, 2025
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The gene editing tool known as CRISPR-Cas9 is changing what's possible for treating a wide range of diseases caused by genetic mutations. But so far, attempts to use the technology to address brain-based genetic disorders ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 18, 2025
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Multicellular organisms (animals, plants, humans) all have the ability to methylate the cytosine base in their DNA. This process, a type of epigenetic modification, plays an important role in conditions such as cancer and ...
Evolution
Nov 18, 2025
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166
A team led by University of Pittsburgh's Graham Hatfull has developed a method to construct bacteriophages with entirely synthetic genetic material, allowing researchers to add and subtract genes at will. The findings open ...
Biotechnology
Nov 10, 2025
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DNA isn't just a long string of genetic code, but an intricate 3D structure folded inside each cell. That means the tools used to study DNA need to be just as sophisticated—able to read not only the code itself, but how it's ...
Biotechnology
Nov 6, 2025
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Scientists from Oxford's Radcliffe Department of Medicine have achieved the most detailed view yet of how DNA folds and functions inside living cells, revealing the physical structures that control when and how genes are ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 6, 2025
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Genome size exhibits extensive variation across the life of a tree. Previous studies have predominantly focused on interspecific comparisons. However, the ecological drivers and adaptive implications of the variation, particularly ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 5, 2025
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Genomes are key to unlocking life's evolutionary history. The presence and absence of certain genetic sequences and mutations can give us clues to the order in which species diverge. However, even state-of-the-art methods ...
Evolution
Nov 5, 2025
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58
Every cell in the body has the same DNA, but different cell types—such as muscle or brain cells—use different parts of it. Transcription factors help cells activate specific genes by reading certain DNA sequences, but since ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 4, 2025
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193
Could yeast and humans be any more different? Going by looks alone, probably not. But peering into our genomes reveals surprising similarities. That's because we share a common ancestor called LECA (last eukaryotic common ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 28, 2025
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