Genomics

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Charting brain cell epigenomics to reveal origins of psychiatric disorders

In a revealing Genomic Press Interview published today in Genomic Psychiatry, Dr. Maria Margarita Behrens recounts an extraordinary scientific journey that wound through four countries and multiple disciplines before arriving at fundamental questions about how the brain develops and what goes wrong in psychiatric disorders.

6 Jan 2026

Ancient animals reveal sleep’s original role in maintaining brain health

A groundbreaking new study from Bar-Ilan University shows that one of sleep's core functions originated hundreds of millions of years ago in jellyfish and sea anemones, among the earliest creatures with nervous systems.

6 Jan 2026

Unveiling genetic links between schizophrenia and osteoporosis

A comprehensive genetic investigation led by Dr. Feng Liu at Tianjin Medical University General Hospital has uncovered striking molecular connections between schizophrenia and bone health, identifying 195 shared genetic loci that may explain why psychiatric patients face elevated fracture risks.

6 Jan 2026

Jumping genes reshape cancer genomes through 3D chromatin interactions

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have revealed previously unappreciated roles for the retrotransposon LINE-1 in shaping the cancer genome structure and regulation.

5 Jan 2026

RNA splicing and processing genes emerge as central drivers of aging across tissues

A new research paper featured as the cover of Volume 17, Issue 12 of Aging-US was published on December 22, 2025, titled "A combination of differential expression and network connectivity analyses identifies a common set of RNA splicing and processing genes altered with age across human tissues."

5 Jan 2026

Researchers identify hundreds of genes essential for the development of brain cells

An international research team identified hundreds of genes essential for the development of brain cells, including one gene linked to a severe neurodevelopmental disorder not previously described.

5 Jan 2026

Ancient genomes reveal Iron Age origins of human herpesvirus 6

For the first time, scientists have reconstructed ancient genomes of Human betaherpesvirus 6A and 6B (HHV-6A/B) from archaeological human remains more than two millennia old.

4 Jan 2026

New method can help better assess precision genome editing technology

Scientists and physicians can better assess precision genome editing technology using a new method made public today by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Significant amounts of time and resources spent improving CRISPR gene editing technology focus on identifying small off-target sites that pose a safety risk, which is also technically challenging.

2 Jan 2026

Newly identified rare genetic variant reduces the risk of leukemia

A newly identified and rare genetic variant slows the growth of mutated blood stem cells, researchers report, and it reduces the risk of leukemia.

2 Jan 2026

Epigenetic clocks accurately predict age from human skeletal muscle

A new research paper was published in Volume 17, Issue 11 of Aging-US on November 26, 2025, titled "Epigenetic aging signatures and age prediction in human skeletal muscle."

30 Dec 2025

Researchers create the most detailed 3D maps of the human genome

In a landmark effort to understand how the physical structure of our DNA influences human biology, Northwestern investigators and the 4D Nucleome Project have unveiled the most detailed maps to date of the genome's three‑dimensional organization across time and space, according to a new study published in Nature.

22 Dec 2025

Rethinking Mendelian assumptions in inherited retinal degenerations

A new study challenges what's long been assumed about genetic variants thought to always cause inherited blindness.

22 Dec 2025

Wasatch Biolabs announces co-marketing agreement with Agilent to advance native-read targeted sequencing

Wasatch BioLabs (WBL), a leader in native, long-read sequencing and epigenomic analysis, today announced a co-marketing agreement with Agilent Technologies to support the adoption of its Direct Targeted Methylation Sequencing (dTMS) platform.

From Wasatch BioLabs 22 Dec 2025

Genes influence the gut microbiome beyond the individual

The gut microbiome - made up of trillions of microbes in the digestive tract - is vital for digestion and overall health. Diet and medication shape these microbial ecosystems, but the contribution of genetics has been more difficult to ascertain.

19 Dec 2025

New open-source tool maps gene regulation networks in cancer

University of Navarra (Spain) researchers have developed RNACOREX, a new open-source software capable of identifying gene regulation networks with applications in cancer survival analysis.

19 Dec 2025

Simulations explore possible encounters between Neanderthals and modern humans

Researchers at the University of Cologne use simulations to investigate the likelihood of interactions between Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans on the Iberian Peninsula / publication in “PLOS One”.

19 Dec 2025

Viral DNA elements help control early embryonic development

Transposable elements are stretches of DNA that can move around the genome. Many of these DNA sequences originate from long ago, when viruses inserted their genetic material into our ancestors' genomes during infection.

19 Dec 2025

Younger epigenetic age linked to increased depression in older women

A new research paper was published in Volume 17, Issue 11 of Aging-US on November 18, 2025, titled "Epigenetic age predicts depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging: importance of biological sex."

19 Dec 2025

Junk' DNA may hold new clues to Alzheimer’s disease

When most of us think of DNA, we have a vague idea it's made up of genes that give us our physical features, our behavioral quirks, and keep our cells and organs running.

18 Dec 2025

Social living allows genetic effects to spread through the gut microbiome

Your "roommate's" genes could be influencing the bacteria living in your gut, and vice versa, according to a study of rats published today in Nature Communications.

18 Dec 2025