To our immune system, a potentially lifesaving gene therapy can look a lot like a dangerous infection. That's because most genetic medicine uses viruses or double-stranded DNA to deliver genetic ...

Scientists have recently been learning more about the importance of small bits of circular genetic material known as extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA). These little circles of DNA can hitch a ride with ...

When cells proliferate, genomic DNA is precisely duplicated once per cell cycle. Abnormalities in this DNA replication process can cause alterations in genomic DNA, promoting cellular ageing, cancer, ...

A new fluorescent sensor is giving scientists an unprecedented view of how cells respond to DNA damage, capturing the repair process as it unfolds in real time. The tool, developed at Utrecht ...

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet have discovered how mammalian cells prevent the gradual buildup of harmful mutations in mitochondrial DNA, the small but vital genome that powers every cell. The ...

“The laws of inheritance are quite unknown,” Charles Darwin acknowledged in 1859. The discovery of DNA’s shape altered how we conceived of life itself. The X-ray crystallography by Rosalind Franklin ...

Human embryos have been developed from eggs given the DNA of adult skin cells – a feat that had previously been achieved in mice. This could one day provide a way for same-sex couples or women with ...

A clump of proteins seems to be in charge of the level of DNA repair that takes place in our bodies, determining how fast mutations accumulate in our cells over a lifetime – and might thus affect our ...

A new study shows that DNA forms coils under stress, not the tangled knots that scientists expected. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it ...

The human genome consists of 3 billion base pairs, and when a cell divides, it takes about seven hours to complete making a copy of its DNA. That's almost 120,000 base pairs per second. At that ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Lars Daniel covers digital evidence and forensics in life and law. When a multi-million dollar trucking case hinges on what ...

How does a cell know when it’s been damaged? A molecular alarm, set off by mutated RNA and colliding ribosomes, signals danger. When the sun shines on your skin, what does it hit? When it causes a ...