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.
There is more movement in our genome than we think. Almost half of the human genome consists of transposons—short DNA sequences capable of relocating within the genome. They "jump" from one place to another, not uniformly ...
Evolution
Jun 17, 2025
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Scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have identified 4,208 previously unannotated open reading frames (ORFs) across 679 human-associated viral genomes using a high-throughput method called massively parallel ...
Your DNA is continually damaged by sources both inside and outside your body. One especially severe form of damage called a double-strand break involves the severing of both strands of the DNA double helix.
Molecular & Computational biology
Jun 16, 2025
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Research conducted by Filip Kolář of the Faculty of Science, Charles University, and Patrick Meirmans of the University of Amsterdam has revealed that genome duplication (polyploidization)—a process playing a key role in ...
Evolution
Jun 16, 2025
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Not all DNA looks like the familiar twisted ladder. Sometimes, parts of our genetic code fold into unusual shapes. One such structure, the G-quadruplex (G4), looks like a knot. These knots can play important roles in turning ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 12, 2025
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Over the last 10 years, breakthroughs in understanding the genetic instructions passed from parent to offspring have put researchers closer than ever before to efficiently decoding DNA with 100% accuracy. However, this analysis ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 12, 2025
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The promise of genome editing to help understand human diseases and create new therapies is vast, but technological limitations have limited advancement of the field. While existing editing technologies can alter or delete ...
Biotechnology
Jun 10, 2025
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In plants and animals, the basic packaging units of DNA, which carry genetic information, are the so-called nucleosomes. A nucleosome consists of a segment of DNA wound around eight proteins known as histones.
Bio & Medicine
May 10, 2024
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