DNA

Even after superbugs have been wiped out they can leave behind resistance genes for other bugs to use. Now, researchers at Rice University have developed new nanosheets that can “trap and zap” these loose genes in wastewater treatment plants.

A new study led by researchers from UC San Diego is suggesting unique microbial DNA signatures detected in blood samples can not only potentially identify dozens of different cancers but also catch the disease in its earliest stages.

Palaeontologists claim to have discovered evidence of cartilage cells, proteins, chromosomes and even DNA preserved inside 75-million year old dinosaur fossils, suggesting these molecules can survive for far longer than we thought.

The Pan-Cancer Project is an international collaboration dedicated to analyzing thousands of whole cancer genomes. The results have been published, revealing new details about cancer’s causes, development, classification, diagnosis and treatment.

A new article is reporting the first results of a genetic study into the DNA of the novel coronavirus spreading across the globe. The research suggests the virus may have originated in snakes, which were sold at the market where the outbreak began.

Gauging the maximum lifespan of wild animals can be difficult, as scientists are limited to examining whichever creatures they capture. Now, however, researchers have developed a method of determining a species' natural lifespan, based on its DNA.

INTEGRATE is a newly-developed version of CRISPR that edits genes more gently. It uses “jumping genes” that insert large sequences of DNA without breaking the strands, and now scientists have imaged the mechanism at work for the first time.

Scientists have extracted a complete human genome from a 5,700-year-old piece of "chewing gum." It was discovered that the chewer was an ancient female – now named Lola – with dark skin, blue eyes, and most likely a taste for duck and hazelnuts.

Researchers from ETH Zurich have created 3D rabbit models embedded with synthetic DNA that contained their own blueprints. That allows them to effectively "clone" the models, printing copies by clipping small pieces off the original.

A new study from an international team of geneticists is suggesting we are further away than many realize from being able to effectively genetically select for complex polygenic traits such as IQ or height and create designer babies.

The latest ingredients of life to be discovered off-world are certain bio-essential sugars, which have now been found in meteorites. This could lend weight to the idea that meteorite impacts are responsible for the origin of life on Earth.

Combining studies of genetics, geology and climate history, scientists from Australia and South Africa say they’ve identified what could be called the “homeland” of modern humans – a vast, ancient wetland system in southern Africa.