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DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

Rice chemist explores how extra amino acid could be used to make life-saving substances

There are 20 amino acids in the standard genetic code. A Rice University professor wants to know what one can do with 21.

27 Sep 2019

Cellular aging associated with structural changes in the brain

Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that become shorter with each cell division. If they become so short that the genes they protect could be damaged, the cell stops dividing and renewing.

27 Sep 2019

Researchers identify genetic variants related to starting point of Parkinson's disease

Researchers from the Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Barcelona, Hospital Clínic and the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute have identified a group of genetic variants related to the starting point of Parkinson's disease.

27 Sep 2019

Scientists use ultrasound to detect active genes in live cells

A startling new study shows that ultrasound can help scientists to understand whether specific genes are in the active or inactive state in live cells.

27 Sep 2019

Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy associated with reductions in children's lung function

New research by the Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability (CESH) at the University of Leicester indicates that exposure to air pollution from road traffic as early as the first trimester of pregnancy and in early life is associated with small but significant reductions in children's lung function at the age of eight years.

27 Sep 2019

PWSA (USA) announces support for H.R.4144 - Ending the Diagnostic Odyssey Act of 2019

Today, PWSA (USA) announced its support for H.R.4144 - Ending the Diagnostic Odyssey Act of 2019, a bill to enable States to better provide access to whole genome sequencing clinical services for certain undiagnosed children under the Medicaid program, and for other purposes.

27 Sep 2019

Ancient bones and modern study methods add up to better science

Bone is a material that is essential for the study of humans in long-ago times. More precisely, the collagen, or fibrous tissue, which provides the groundwork for these bones, is required for radiocarbon dating of the fossil, as well as studies on ancient diet and the protein composition of older humans.

27 Sep 2019

New study on gene modulation may help prevent blindness

Genes borrowed from a spider turned Peter Parker into Spiderman. If scientists can use archaea--tiny organisms similar to bacteria--as a source of useful genes for humans, might it help prevent blindness one day?

27 Sep 2019

DNA sequencing helps confirm breast cancer link between Leicester sisters

Two Leicester sisters who had their entire genomes sequenced in the hope of finding answers to their family history of breast cancer have learnt they both carry a genetic variant that significantly increases their risk of developing the disease.

27 Sep 2019

French ban on food additive may be premature, MSU research suggests

Michigan State University and University of Nebraska Medical Center researchers are refuting an earlier French government-funded study that claims titanium dioxide, a common food additive used worldwide, causes digestive inflammation and lesions in rats.

26 Sep 2019

High-dose radiation effective for men whose prostate cancer has spread, trial shows

A randomized clinical trial of targeted, high-dose radiation for men with oligometastatic prostate cancer has shown the treatment to be an effective and safe option for patients who wish to delay hormone-suppression therapy.

26 Sep 2019

Researcher aims to make CRISPR-Cas9 system safer and more precise

The mere mention of gene editing and DNA altering might conjure up images of designer babies, but that is not what researcher Jin Liu has in mind.

26 Sep 2019

Russian researchers come up with faster method to discover antibiotics

Russian biochemists have identified a promising new class of antibiotics. Having studied over 125,000 molecules, they found that 2-pyrazol-1-yl-thiazole derivatives exhibit antibacterial properties.

26 Sep 2019

Mechanisms behind antibiotic resistance captured on video for the first time

Scientists have established the cause of antibiotic-resistance in bacteria on video, and the findings contradict previous beliefs.

26 Sep 2019

New technique can rapidly image synaptic proteins at high resolution

Our brains contain millions of synapses -- the connections that transmit messages from neuron to neuron. Within these synapses are hundreds of different proteins, and dysfunction of these proteins can lead to conditions such as schizophrenia and autism.

26 Sep 2019

Scientists identify cause of antibiotic resistance

Scientists have confirmed for the first time that bacteria can change form to avoid being detected by antibiotics in the human body.

26 Sep 2019

Researchers use AI to predict depression outcomes

The psychiatry field has long sought answers to explain why antidepressants help only some people.

25 Sep 2019

Experimental treatment shows early promise to help nearly half of DMD patients

A new therapeutic being tested by University of Alberta researchers is showing early promise as a more effective treatment that could help nearly half of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

25 Sep 2019

Metabolic imbalance in cancer patients associated with resistance to immune checkpoint blocker

A metabolic imbalance in some cancer patients following treatment with a checkpoint inhibitor drug, nivolumab, is associated with resistance to the immunotherapy agent and shorter survival, report scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in collaborative work with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

25 Sep 2019

Physiologists, researchers to discuss factors underlying cardiovascular disease at APS conference

International physiologists and researchers studying the kidney, high blood pressure and related medical conditions will convene next week at the American Physiological Society (APS) Aldosterone and ENaC in Health and Disease: The Kidney and Beyond Conference in Estes Park, Colo.

25 Sep 2019