Komodo dragon genome reveals clues about its evolution

The Komodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world. These predators weighing up to 200 pounds can detect their prey from up to 7.5 miles away. And although they are cold-blooded, they can ramp up their metabolism to ...

New method to detect off-target effects of CRISPR

Since the CRISPR genome editing technology was invented in 2012, it has shown great promise to treat a number of intractable diseases. However, scientists have struggled to identify potential off-target effects in therapeutically ...

Proteins use a lock and key system to bind to DNA

You can think of DNA as a string of letters—As, Cs, Ts, and Gs—that together spell out the information needed for the construction and function of cells. Each cell in your body shares the same DNA. So, for cells to take ...

Scientists mimic the earliest stages of human development

Human embryos start as a tiny mass of cells that are all the same. The first step in growing from a homogenous ball of cells into a complex individual with distinct organs and tissues is for the cells to divide into distinct ...

Scientists examine variations in a cell's protein factory

You can think of a cell in your body like a miniature factory, creating a final product called proteins, which carry out various tasks and functions. In this cellular factory, genes control the series of sequential steps ...

Unearthing the secrets of cellular energy

Everything the body does—your brain thinking, your heart beating, your cells growing—requires energy. Consequently, it comes as no surprise that disruptions in energy production can contribute to a wide range of diseases. ...

Deep learning: A superhuman way to look at cells

It's harder than you might think to look at a microscope image of an untreated cell and identify its features. To make cell characteristics visible to the human eye, scientists normally have to use chemicals that can kill ...

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