It has long been accepted that a gene's protein-coding information is contained in only one of its two DNA strands. But in 22 February Nature, Victor Corces and co-workers at the Department of Biology ...

Every time a cell divides, it must copy its entire genome so that each daughter cell inherits a complete set of DNA. During that process, enzymes known as polymerases race along the DNA to copy its ...

When AlphaFold solved the protein-folding problem in 2020, it showed that artificial intelligence could crack one of biology’s deepest mysteries: how a string of amino acids folds itself into a ...

Plasmids, small circular DNA molecules found in bacteria, may contain antibiotic-resistance genes and have the ability to replicate independently. Bacteria can transfer these plasmids to one another, ...

Most biochemistry labs that study DNA isolate it within a water-based solution that allows scientists to manipulate DNA without interacting with other molecules. They also tend to use heat to separate ...

Telomeres are repetitive sequences of DNA that can be found at the ends of chromosomes, where they form a kind of protective cap. Telomeres get shorter every time a cell divides, and they are thought ...

Following a double-strand DNA break, an enzyme called PARP1 helps hold the two strands together —like superglue— and creates a safe zone for other proteins to come repair the damage. We don’t exactly ...