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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).

Common water pill may be a useful add‑on to the standard HIV treatment

An FDA‑approved medication called spironolactone, often prescribed as a diuretic, or water pill, for heart and blood pressure conditions, may be a useful add‑on to the standard HIV treatment, according to new research from the Valente lab at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology.

2 Dec 2025

Protein tied to ALS and dementia plays a role in regulating DNA mismatch repair

New Houston Methodist research has revealed that a protein associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also plays a role in regulating DNA mismatch repair, a process essential for replicating genetic information and cell health.

2 Dec 2025

Cell nucleus shape plays a key role in cancer therapy outcomes

Cancer cells with a cell nucleus that is easily deformed are more sensitive to drugs that damage DNA. These are the findings of a new study by researchers at Linköping University in Sweden.

2 Dec 2025

Nasal bacteria influence Staphylococcus aureus colonization

People who persistently carry Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in their nose have fewer species of other bacteria, while certain bacteria may help to prevent S. aureus colonisation.

2 Dec 2025

Specific DNA sequences control spinal cord injury response

After a spinal cord injury, cells in the brain and spinal cord change to cope with stress and repair tissue. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Neuroscience, shows that this response is controlled by specific DNA sequences.

2 Dec 2025

Study reveals ATM kinase as the key driver of replicative senescence

After a finite number of divisions, cells simply give up. As each round of replication trims their telomeres-the protective caps at the chromosome ends-those caps eventually become too short to prevent chromosome ends from being recognized as DNA breaks.

1 Dec 2025

Latent antimicrobial resistance found to be more widespread across the world

A team of researchers has discovered that latent antimicrobial resistance is more widespread across the world than known resistance.

1 Dec 2025

Epigenetic drift explains why the aging intestine becomes more vulnerable to cancer

Researchers from the Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena, Germany, the Molecular Biotechnology Centre (MBC) in Turin and the University of Turin, Italy, have discovered a fundamental mechanism of aging in the gut.

28 Nov 2025

How the gut microbiome links obesity to colorectal cancer

The gut microbiome serves as both a biomarker and therapeutic target in diseases like obesity, metabolic syndrome, and colorectal cancer.

28 Nov 2025

Global study reveals widespread latent antimicrobial resistance in wastewater

A team of researchers has discovered that latent antimicrobial resistance is more widespread across the world than known resistance.

27 Nov 2025

Breakthrough platform reveals the choreography of mammalian transcription

Life's instructions are written in DNA, but it is the enzyme RNA polymerase II (Pol II) that reads the script, transcribing RNA in eukaryotic cells and eventually giving rise to proteins.

27 Nov 2025

Chronic drinking weakens the blood-brain barrier through the gut

Chronic alcohol consumption disrupts the blood-brain barrier, but Faecalibacterium prausnitzii shows promise in repairing this damage and improving cognition.

27 Nov 2025

Researchers uncover how a key transcription factor reads DNA in human cells

With a new study in the journal Cell, researchers at Stanford University and Stockholm University have contributed to increased knowledge about gene regulation in human cells.

26 Nov 2025

New imaging method reveals nanodomains inside ALS-linked protein droplets

Inside the cell reside many tiny assembly factories and warehouses that gather together all of the proteins and RNAs-which carry out instructions from our DNA-that a living being needs.

26 Nov 2025

New study links inherited mitochondrial DNA mutation to disrupted immune balance

Scientists have discovered how a mitochondrial mutation rewires immune function in a model of inherited primary mitochondrial disorders, which often lead to severe disability and death.

26 Nov 2025

Rare inherited variants shape risk and outcomes in pediatric brain and spinal cord tumors

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Children's National Hospital in Washington D.C. are uncovering how rare inherited genetic variants contribute to the development of brain and spinal cord tumors in children.

26 Nov 2025

Researchers discover new mutation hotspot in the human genome

Researchers have discovered new regions of the human genome particularly vulnerable to mutations. These altered stretches of DNA can be passed down to future generations and are important for how we study genetics and disease.

26 Nov 2025

Lung to gut movement of hospital-acquired bacterium raises the risk of sepsis

A hospital-acquired bacterium that causes serious infections can move from the lungs to the gut inside the same patient, raising the risk of life-threatening sepsis, new research reveals.

25 Nov 2025

Focused ultrasound combined with chemotherapy improves survival in glioblastoma patients

Patients with the deadliest form of brain cancer, glioblastoma, who received MRI-guided focused ultrasound with standard-of-care chemotherapy had a nearly 40 percent increase in overall survival in a landmark trial of 34 patients led by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers.

24 Nov 2025

'Mental model' approach shown to reduce effects of misinformation about mRNA vaccines

Correcting misinformation after it has gone viral is a common way of informing the public that what they've encountered may be inaccurate, lack context, be unproven, or be demonstrably false.

24 Nov 2025