DNA is often called the blueprint of life, but what does that really mean? Elizabeth Worthey, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Genetics in the Heersink School of Medicine, explains everything ...

In a way, sequencing DNA is very simple: There's a molecule, you look at it, and you write down what you find. You'd think it would be easy—and, for any one letter in the sequence, it is. The problem ...

DNA repair proteins act like the body's editors, constantly finding and reversing damage to our genetic code. Researchers have long struggled to understand how cancer cells hijack one of these ...

Our DNA is made of millions of combinations of the genomes that create the human body. Even the smallest changes in these sequences, or in how they act, can change the functioning of the whole body ...

Scientists have shown that in one in every 4,000 births, some of the genetic code from our mitochondria—the 'batteries' that power our cells—inserts itself into our DNA, revealing a surprising new ...

New analytical methods developed at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions have increased our understanding of how bacteria manage DNA. The methods enabled researchers to uncover ...

First came AlphaFold. Now comes AlphaGenome for DNA. When scientists first sequenced the human genome in 2003, they revealed the full set of DNA instructions that make a person. But we still didn’t ...

DNA isn't just a long string of genetic code, but an intricate 3D structure folded inside each cell. That means the tools used to study DNA need to be just as sophisticated—able to read not only the ...

DNA isn’t just a long string of genetic code, but an intricate 3D structure folded inside each cell. That means the tools used to study DNA need to be just as sophisticated—able to read not only the ...

The Pol-theta enzyme (blue) joins two parts of a broken DNA strand (yellow). This process is mutagenic and can give rise to cancer. LA JOLLA, CA—DNA repair proteins act like the body’s editors, ...