Researchers have identified gene-regulatory variants that might have contributed to Neanderthals’ beefy jaws — offering a window on how the human face developed 1. This ‘non-coding’ sequence controls ...

The Pol-theta enzyme (blue) joins two parts of a broken DNA strand (yellow). This process is mutagenic and can give rise to cancer. LA JOLLA, CA—DNA repair proteins act like the body’s editors, ...

Movie 1: Movement of single nucleosomes in living human cells. The movie shows nucleosome fluctuations in euchromatin (left), where gene expression is active, and in heterochromatin (right), where ...

For successful cell division, chromosomal DNA needs to be packed into compact rod-shaped structures. Defects in this process can lead to cell death or diseases like cancer. A new study has shown how ...

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) replication is fundamental to life, yet the precise mechanics of how helicases unwind the genome for replication remain unclear. A recent study published in Nature used ...

Among the many marvels of life is the cell's ability to divide and thus enable organisms to grow and renew themselves. For this, the cell must duplicate its DNA—its genome—and segregate it equally ...

Among the many marvels of life is the cell's ability to divide and thus enable organisms to grow and renew themselves. For this, the cell must duplicate its DNA – its genome – and segregate it equally ...

DNA can sustain serious injuries called double strand breaks, in which both strands of the helix snap. These breaks are among the most dangerous forms of DNA damage and immediately trigger the cell's ...