Inside mitochondria and their fascinating genome

Mitochondria are present in all eukaryotic cells: in our cells, in mammalian cells, in the cells of plants and even of fungi. Mitochondria produce energy for cells to function as multicellular organisms, and are known as ...

Research team spins the Sleeping Beauty transposase

EMBL scientists have developed a new variant of the so-called Sleeping Beauty transposase. It has dramatically improved biochemical features, including enhanced stability and intrinsic cell penetrating properties. This transposase ...

Repetitive elements shape embryonic chromatin landscape

Retrotransposons are repetitive elements that form almost half of the mammalian genome. Even though they are so common, they have previously been considered to be fairly insignificant. Together with colleagues from the USA, ...

Sex of a baby? Ancient virus makes the call

The sex of human and all mammalian babies may be determined by a simple modification of a virus that insinuated itself into the mammalian genome as recently as 1.5 million years ago, a new Yale University-led study has found.

Mapping crocodilian genomes

A Texas Tech University biologist led a team of more than 50 scientists who mapped the genomes of three crocodilians.

Dad's genes build placentas, study shows

Though placentas support the fetus and mother, it turns out that the organ grows according to blueprints from dad, says new Cornell research. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in ...

'Cowcatcher' enzyme fixes single-strand DNA

Every time one of your cells divides, it exposes its most essential component to great danger: its genome, the sum total of all its genetic information, embodied in the double-stranded helix of DNA. Prior to cell division, ...

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