For many years, researchers believed that the DNA inside a newly fertilized egg began as a structural ‘blank slate’ – a loose ...

For decades, scientists believed a fertilized egg’s DNA began as a shapeless mass, only organizing itself once the embryo switched on its genes. But new research reveals that the genome is already ...

For decades, scientists viewed the genome of a newly fertilized egg as a structural "blank slate"—a disordered tangle of DNA ...

A fleeting DNA fold called i‑DNA can switch cancer‑related genes on and off, revealing a hidden structural weak point that ...

DNA's iconic double helix does more than "just" store genetic information. Under certain conditions, it can temporarily fold into unusual shapes. Researchers at Umeå University, Sweden, have now shown ...

In a new study, published in Cell, researchers describe a newfound mechanism for creating proteins in a giant DNA virus, comparable to a mechanism in eukaryotic cells. The finding challenges the dogma ...

A giant virus discovered in Japan is adding fuel to the provocative idea that viruses helped create complex life. Named ushikuvirus, it infects amoebae and shows unique traits that connect different ...

A research team at the University of Würzburg has deciphered another aspect of poxviral gene activation. The study reveals a ...

The story of how life began on Earth grows even more intriguing when viruses enter the picture. These microscopic particles are thought to have ...

A research team at the University of Würzburg has deciphered another aspect of poxviral gene activation. The study reveals a ...

Major depression is not only a crisis of mood, it is also a crisis of biology that reshapes the brain itself. As genetic tools sharpen, scientists are now tracing how inherited risk for depression is ...